Moonflower
by Honeymeandog
Summary: To seal the alliance between Konoha and the Hyuga clan, the Yondaime and the head of the Hyuga arrange a marriage between their offspring; Naruto Namikaze and Hinata Hyuga. While struggling to bring peace and stability to the tumultuous shinobi world they live in, Naruto and Hinata slowly learn what it truly means to love. AU. Naruhina.
1. The Hyuga Princess

**Author's Note:**

 **Welcome to my first fanfiction! It's taken me a lot of courage to finally write one so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Just a couple of notes about this fic:**

 **This story is an AU. The setting takes place in the earlier days of Konoha so Naruto and his friends are part of one of the village's earlier generations. A lot of what happened in canon will still happen in this fic, but with my own twist on things ;) Anything that's different from canon will be explained in the story.**

 **The main pairing in this story is Naruhina. I'm perfectly okay with not everyone liking this pairing, but if you do not like Naruhina, this fic is probably not for you. Also, this story is not a fluff-fic. I plan on writing what I believe will be a satisfying love story, but there will be some dark chapters ahead before we reach a happy ending. If you're not looking for a fic with drama and dark moments, this fic may also not be for you.**

 **Naruto may seem a bit OOC at times as he initially will be a more dark, disturbed character in the story. I've also made him a little bit smarter compared to how he is in canon.**

 **The M rating is for language, graphic violence, and sexual situations**

 **Last but not least, Naruto and all its' characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I've written this fic purely for fun :)**

* * *

"You sure we're going the right way, Uruki?" asked a young shinobi clad in a black cloak etched with red clouds. The man wore the traditional hitai-ate of Kumo around his forehead with a line scratched through, indicating that he was a rouge ninja. Uruki also wore the same attire with the only exception being a scratched out hitai-ate from Kiri instead of Kumo.

Uruki nodded in reply. "Yes Nori, the spot should be just ahead where we left Yuri to keep watch for any signs of those damned Konoha shinobi. He never gave the signal to abort the mission, so we should be able to bring back a through report on the Kyuubi's location!"

The two men soon reached their destination but were confused upon not seeing their comrade anywhere. "This is where we left him…right?"

Uruki looked around in confusion. "Yeah this is the spot, he should be—"

The man stopped when he felt something wet fall onto his head. Uruki carefully brought his fingertips to the top of his scalp and widened his eyes when he looked at the dark liquid staining his fingers. "Blood! But how—?"

He then noticed his comrade visibly shaking while staring up in horror into the canopy of trees above them. Uruki followed the young man's gaze to where the body of Yuri was gruesomely impaled through several thick branches, his blood dripping down onto them like drops of dew.

Uruki nearly vomited at the sight. "We need to retreat!", he shouted but before he could take another step, a kunai zipped through the air from above and went straight through his throat. Blood from his jugular splattered onto Nori's face, who then took off in the opposite direction.

' _How did he find us so quickly_?!' the young rogue ninja thought with a fright.

He then tripped and fell. He immediately reached for one of his kunai when he sat up, ready to defend himself from the invisible attacker. The young man's breathing started to slow as he realized that he had escaped from the enemy. He sighed and brought his weapon down. The rouge-nin then noticed movement in the reflection of his kunai so he turned it around to get a better look. He froze upon seeing dozens of red, slitted eyes reflected in the trees above him. Nori slowly turned his face upwards only to be met with the sight of several shinobi grinning down at him from the tree branches. All of the shinobi were clones of a certain blond-haired jinchuriki that the rouge ninja and his comrades were supposed to be gathering intelligence on. However, they were given strict orders to not engage the jinchuriki…because it meant certain death.

The man remained frozen in terror as he watched one of the clones jump down to land just in front of him. The jinchuriki knelt down, eyeing the dark robes the terrified young man was wearing.

"Akatsuki, huh?" the clone remarked in a deep, scratchy voice. The jinchuriki then grabbed Nori forcefully around the neck and lifted him off the ground while grinning in amusement. "When will you bastards ever learn?", he drew his arm back with his sharp fingertips pointed at the young man's chest, "You will _never_ catch me!"

The young man screams filled the forest, as the jinchuriki ripped his heart out while the remaining clones in the branches laughed maniacally.

* * *

To say that Hinata Hyuga was lovely would be an understatement. The seventeen-year old possessed a warm smile and kind, lavender pearlescent eyes. She had waist-length indigo hair that gracefully fell over her shoulders and back, while perfectly framing her gentle face. Her ivory skin was soft to the touch and free of blemish. She was blessed with a thin figure and an ample chest, which was hidden elegantly under the layers of her kimono.

As Heiress to the Hyuga clan, Hinata was well-educated. She could read and write at an advanced level and was also very well-versed on the current politics going on throughout the Land of Fire. She could easily carry an intelligent conversation on various topics ranging from the decisive battles of the late Second Shinobi War to the trading policies of Kusagakure.

In her clan's eyes however, her biggest fault was that she was born a woman. While the surrounding clans and Hidden Villages had allowed their women to become shinobi over the past decade, the Hyuga have held fast to their ancient traditional view of a woman's place in society. To the Hyuga, women were primarily mothers and homemakers. They did not become shinobi — that was men's work. As far as the elders were concerned, Hinata's main purpose in life was to marry well and produce a male heir that will lead the clan someday.

Her father Hiashi had slightly different views though. He never challenged the idea of not allowing the women in the clan to become shinobi, yet he wanted his daughters to know how to protect themselves should an attack ever come upon the Hyuga compound. So, he taught Hinata and her younger sister, Hanabi, the taijutsu style of the Gentle Fist. Hinata did not have much occasion to use her shinobi skills so it was fair to say that she was not one of the strongest Gentle Fist users in her clan, but she could still defend herself should the occasion ever present itself. Unfortunately, Hinata's gender was not her only fault as seen through the eyes of the clan elders.

Hinata had a meek and overly kind personality. She was soft-spoken and had trouble maintaining eye contact while talking with someone. She hardly ever asked the servants to do anything for her and when she did, it was more of a polite request rather than an order from one of the highest-ranked members of the clan. Hinata mostly did things for herself; she cooked, cleaned up after herself, and did most of her own chores. The elders saw Hinata as a weak-willed woman that acted beneath her station.

This harsh criticism caused Hinata to grow up under an unrealistic pressure to be a perfect Heiress; doing whatever was necessary for the benefit of her clan. However, it seemed that no matter what Hinata did, she was always a disappointment to the elders and the other members of the Main Household. Speaking her mind and expressing her feelings were always looked down upon, so Hinata has learned to keep her emotions hidden from those around her (with the exception of her immediate family and her trusted lady-in-waiting, Hotaru). This endless strive for perfection, caused Hinata to never be satisfied with the person looking back at her in the mirror. There was always something she was lacking in. She could be more feminine, she could be more confident, she could be more intelligent — she always had to be more.

Tonight, Hinata was on her way to her father's office. She shuffled quietly through the halls wondering what her father was summoning her for. Though he was a strict man, Hinata had a good relationship with her father and loved him dearly. Hiashi Hyuga was often stern and stoic in his role as Clan Leader, but when it was just him and his daughters, he was warm and approachable. He had stuck up for Hinata many times when the elders put pressure on him to disinherit Hinata and name her sister, Hanabi, as Heiress instead.

That was, until recent events transpired.

Hinata pushed back those awful memories as she approached her father's office. A few months ago, she had suffered the biggest humiliation of her life — one that even left her own father disappointed in her. Things had been strained between the two since then so Hinata was surprised when her father asked for her presence this evening. She had hoped that he was entrusting her again to resume her Heiress training, which included accompanying him to his meetings and listening to him as he briefed her on world events. Hinata had missed that time with her father over the past few months.

When she reached the shoji door leading into her father's office, she stopped and bowed. "Father, I am here as you requested," she announced timidly.

There was a brief pause before she heard, "You may enter."

Hinata straightened up and carefully slid the door open and stepped through. She immediately closed the door back behind her and knelt before her father, "You wanted to see me, Father?"

"You can sit up Hinata," her father ordered.

Hinata complied as she nervously awaited to find out the reason for her father calling her here tonight.

"As you know, the Yondaime and I have been working on an alliance between our clan and Konoha for several years." Hinata nodded her head in understanding as Hiashi continued, "I'm happy to say that we have finally reached an arrangement to have the Hyuga clan join forces with Konoha. The alliance was drafted just this morning."

Hinata's heart beamed with joy and she smiled at her father's news. Hiashi and the Yondaime, Minato Namikaze, had been friends for many years. Back in the days of the Second Shinobi War, the Hyuga sent their strongest shinobi to assist Konoha's forces in the battle against Iwa. Hiashi himself was one of those shinobi. It was then that he had met and fought alongside Minato. By the time the war was over, the two men had forged a strong respect for the other which was the basis of their friendship. One of Hiashi's ambitions had been to bring the Hyuga clan into an alliance with Konoha and become part of the village.

Presently, the Hyuga clan were independent of any village affiliation. They had been peaceful neighbors with Konoha ever since the village was founded several decades ago, but the elders and the clan leaders before Hiashi had been vehemently against joining the village despite several invitations during those early years. They argued that the mighty Hyuga clan had no need to affiliate itself with any village and that it put their kekkei genkai, the Byakugan, at risk of being stolen by outsiders. Hiashi disagreed. Between the constant warfare amongst the hidden villages and the recent threat of rouge ninja banding together, Hiashi believed that it would only be a matter of time before the Hyuga became the target of an enemy that would be too powerful for them to stop. By joining forces with Konoha, they would have the protection of their shinobi forces which was made up of several members of powerful clans. They would also have access to Konoha's vast intelligence on enemy forces. In recent years, Hiashi realized that his clan did not have the resources they needed to keep up with protecting themselves from the unstable shinobi world growing around them.

For Hinata, this also meant that better resources would become available to the branch members of the clan. The Hyuga clan had a brutal system in which the branch members were placed in servitude to the Main House. To protect the Byakugan and maintain control, each branch family member had the Caged Bird Seal placed on them when they turned three. Every male member of the main house knew the secret jutsu to activate the seal, which could literally liquefy the brain of any branch member in the event they threatened to step out of line. While members of the Main House lived in the lavish Hyuga Mansion at the centre of the compound, the branch members were forced to live on the outskirts of the property in decrepit shacks and barely enough food to survive on. Becoming part of Konoha would mean that they would have access to more plentiful supplies and opportunities to work within the village for better pay. Maybe, the Hyuga women would even finally be allowed to become shinobi! Joining forces with Konoha, could only bring good for the Hyuga clan and Hinata was ecstatic that such an achievement was finally in sight.

"How did the elders react?" Hinata asked softly.

"Actually," Hiashi stated, "they don't know."

Hinata's eyes widened at the revelation. Though her father was clan leader, when it came to such an important decision as this, the majority of the elders would need to support Hiashi to make the alliance work.

"This isn't public knowledge yet," Hiashi continued, "Only myself, the Hokage, and now you, know about the arrangement."

Hinata was happy at this revelation as it meant that her father was trusting her again with such important clan matters. "Father, I'm glad to hear that our clan will finally join forces with Konoha!", she exclaimed, "But what about the elders? Are you certain that they would support it?"

A somber look came over her father, "That's where you come in, Hinata."

The young woman sat there in nervous anticipation at what her father had planned and what her role was to be.

"Traditionally, alliances such as these are sealed through an arranged marriage between one member from both sides. By bringing two families together, it strengthens the new bond and ensures that the alliance will last through the future generations the marriage will produce."

Hinata felt every muscle in her body stiffen and a weight settled in her stomach. "Y-you mean?—"

Hiashi closed his eyes. "Hinata, as my eldest daughter, you have a duty to always do right by the clan. This includes having to make sacrifices that lower-class members of our clan will never have to face. One of these sacrifices is to marry for duty rather than love." Hiashi opened his eyes again, looking resolvedly at his eldest. "In order to seal this important alliance with Konoha and to gain the support of the elders, it is suggested that you should be married to one of the most powerful shinobi soldiers that Konoha has ever produced. The children you would have with this man would not only represent the future of our alliance with Konoha, but they would also bring honor and power to our clan."

Hinata averted her gaze to the floor beneath her as she clasped her hands around the fabric of her kimono. "So this shinobi… he is from a different clan?" she asked meekly.

Hiashi turned away, "Yes…"

A tense silence fell into the room as the implication of what this meant settled in. As Heiress, Hinata had to marry within the clan in order to become Clan Leader after her father died. To marry outside the clan meant that she would never be allowed to lead it. By arranging a marriage to a man in a different clan, Hiashi was effectively disinheriting Hinata. The earlier hope the young woman had carried with her fell through the cracks and was replaced with an overwhelming feeling of defeat. It was official; her father no longer wanted her as Heiress. The elders had their way in the end.

Hiashi looked across at his daughter once again. "Believe me Hinata, in light of…recent events… this will be the best prospect you'll have." He slid a piece of paper over to her. "And I suggest you do everything to ensure that this man will choose to have you," he told her sternly.

Hinata only lowered her gaze even more, trying to push away the shame from the events her father was referring to. She unfolded the paper and her eyes widened as she read the name of the man she was to be married to.

Hiashi continued, "That paper contains everything you need to know about his shinobi career. I suggest you study it well tonight. He and the Hokage will be here tomorrow evening to join us for dinner."

Hinata said nothing back, her only reaction was a tighter grip on the piece of paper sitting between her fingertips.

"You are dismissed," her father finished sternly.

Hinata stiffly folded the paper back up and bowed once again to her father. Without looking back at him, she swiftly stood up and quietly exited the room. When she was several meters away from her father's office, Hinata broke out into a run down the narrow passages of the Hyuga mansion, not stopping until she reached the room she shared with her sister.

Upon entering the room, she was relieved to see her sister not there. She slid her bedroom door shut and then collapsed onto the floor, letting her sobs of anger, distraught, and frustration finally come out. She was still clutching the paper containing information about the man she was proposed to be bound to for the rest of her life. In between her sobs, she stared hard at that cursed piece of paper and threw it aside.

Hinata was not a shinobi, but she was very familiar with the legendary ninja to come out of Konoha. There of course was the Hokage himself, Minato Namikaze, the most powerful shinobi of his generation. There was also Kakashi Hatake, the copy-ninja who was reported to know over a thousand jutsu. Lady Tsunade, one of the legendary sannin, was the greatest medical-nin in the Land of Fire.

But there were also those shinobi who carried a much darker reputation. This included Orochimaru, the rouge Konoha ninja whose twisted human experiments rivaled the most horrific images to come out of one's nightmares. There was the famed Madara Uchiha, who single-handedly came close to taking over the village and ruling it as a dictatorship. And there was also the Hokage's son, Naruto Namikaze: The jinchuriki of the feared Kyuubi who attacked the village eighteen years ago. The young shinobi was rumored to have viscously slaughtered over a hundred of his enemies within the past year with his own bare hands. This had earned him the nickname, "The Demon of Konoha". A warrior who was possessed the vengeful demon spirit that took over in the heat of battle.

And he was the shinobi whose name was written on that fateful piece of paper laying on Hinata's bedroom floor.

 **A/N: Please leave a review, especially if you enjoyed what you've read so far! Constructive criticism is welcomed but flames will be deleted. Also, please see my author profile for the current schedule on when future chapters will be posted. Thank you for reading!**


	2. The Demon of Konoha

**A/N: As of Jan 2019, this chapter has been edited. No plot changes; just fixed a few grammar errors and toned down Naruto's attitude in his interactions with his father**

* * *

Naruto Namikaze walked eagerly through the shinobi camp that had been his post for the past three months. The camp was near the border of the Land of Fire and Takigakure and its' purpose was to defend the border from members of the Akatsuki.

The Akatsuki were a group of rogue ninja, whose membership had grown at a disturbing rate over the past year. No one had been able to figure out their true motives but it was clear what their mission was: To capture jinchuriki. Three out of the nine jinchuriki had already gone missing, which was creating a panic amongst the Hidden Villages who feared the idea of all nine of the tailed-beasts being possessed by one singular group. The Akatsuki's activities in recent months had been hard to follow and intelligence was scarce, so Naruto had been given a six-month assignment in an effort to lure out certain members of the Akatsuki. It was a risky mission to himself who was also a jinchuriki, but Naruto was one of the top jonin of Konoha and proved many times that he was more than capable of protecting himself.

When he started at the Ninja Academy, Naruto was a joke to his classmates. He was always dead-last when it came to test scores and academics, and his jutsu skills back then were pitiful. It took Naruto three tries before he finally passed the graduation exam to become a genin. Since then, through determination, guts, and the support of his father and Iruka-sensei, Naruto slowly became stronger.

Today in particular was a special day for Naruto; it was the day that he was finally going to tell Sakura Haruno that he loved her. Sakura was one of the girls from his class at the Academy and was on the same team as him once they became genin. She despised the annoying blond ninja at first, but with time the two had formed a close bond and friendship. Especially since their third teammate, Sasuke Uchiha, defected from the village along with the rest of the Uchiha clan one year ago.

The Uchiha defection had been a devastating blow to Konoha's shinobi forces and morale. As one of the original clans of Konoha, they had always been a key pillar in the village structure and their loyalty to the village was strong. At least, that's what they led everyone to believe. Secretly the clan had been planning a coup d'etat to take over Konoha. When the coup was discovered, the whole Uchiha clan had defected from the village, allied themselves with the Akatsuki, and declared war on Konoha.

This had all occurred just over one year ago. Over the past year, Naruto and Sakura had grown closer through their shared suffering over the loss and betrayal of Sasuke. Naruto had feelings for Sakura ever since their days at the Academy but Sakura only had eyes for Sasuke. With him being gone and branded as a traitor to the village, the feelings Sakura once had for Sasuke appeared to have faded. Naruto finally had his opportunity to swoop in and claim the girl he had loved all this time.

Naruto stopped just a few feet away from the medical tent where Sakura would be finishing up her morning rounding with the injured and ill. He bounced nervously on his feet, nodding in acknowledgment whenever an occasional fellow shinobi walked by.

The familiar pinkette that he had been eager to see finally emerged. She was wearing the standard shinobi infantry uniform of dark pants and a long-sleeved shirt with a flak jacket that everyone (including Naruto) in the camp wore. She pushed back her heavy bangs which had become stuck to her forehead as she tried to suppress a yawn. By Naruto's guess, she had probably been awake since before dawn attending to her patients.

Her emerald eyes then locked onto him and she smiled. "Hey Naruto!"

"Hey Sakura!" He waved as she walked over.

"What brings you over here this morning? I thought you would be sleeping right now since Kakashi-sensei had you on watch all night."

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and grinned nervously towards her. "Well, actually… there was something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Sure! What is it?"

Naruto was keenly aware of their shinobi comrades milling around them.

"Uh, can we talk somewhere privately?" he asked.

"Oh! Um, sure…" she replied as she led him towards the back of the medical tent into a separate room. "Only myself and certain medical-nin are allowed back here," she stated as they arrived in the much quieter area, "No one should bother us now, so what's going on?"

Naruto felt his heart start to race and his palms become sweaty. "I have something I need to tell you", he started, "I…well uh…this past year has been rough… you know, with Sasuke betraying the village and me not being able to bring him back…"

Sakura's eyes fell downcast. "Yeah I know…" she reflected sadly.

"But having you to lean on for support…it's meant a lot to me, Sakura," Naruto continued.

Sakura's green eyes lifted up to meet his own blue ones and she smiled affectionately towards him. "It's meant a lot to me too, Naruto."

A warm feeling surged in Naruto's chest as he felt encouraged by Sakura's words.

"We've known each other for a long time Sakura and I've never told you…just how much you mean to me." He looked away nervously from Sakura's intent gaze and rubbed the back of his head again. "I know we're here in a shinobi camp in the middle of a war but I can't wait another day…"

"Naruto…what are you trying to say?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

He dropped his hand and suddenly put all his focus back onto her.

"What I'm trying to say is…I love you!"

Sakura's eyes widened but then she looked down as if she had been caught doing something guilty. When the awkward and tense silence fell in the space between them, Naruto knew immediately that he was not going to get the reaction he had been hoping for all these years.

"Naruto…I'm sorry but I only see us as friends."

Naruto looked away trying to ignore the empty feeling of rejection that was overtaking his body.

"…You still love him, don't you," he stated blankly.

Sakura was taken aback by Naruto's reaction. "What are you talking about?"

He stared back at her hard. He wasn't mad that she had rejected him. She didn't owe him her affection and it was her right to only want to be friends. However, he couldn't understand how she could hang onto feelings for someone that was never going to love her back; someone who couldn't care less if she lived or died for that matter. He felt a surge of anger and frustration surge up inside him.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Sakura! I'm fine if you just want us to be friends, but I can't stand here anymore and watch you pine for Sasuke! He's a traitor to the village and he's never coming back!"

Her eyes narrowed bitterly towards him. "Don't talk about things you don't understand, Naruto!"

"I DO understand, Sakura! I'm a guy who actually cares about you and all you can do is waste your time on somebody that no longer acknowledges that you even exist!"

Sakura looked away and wiped the corner of her eyes before Naruto could see the tears that were caused by his words.

"You don't actually love me, Naruto," she said quietly.

Naruto was surprised by her response. "W-what?"

"This is all about Sasuke," she continued, "you've always wanted to beat him in everything. In trying to be with me, you see it as a way to finally win against him." She brought her stern gaze back up to meet Naruto's shocked expression. "The fact that you brought Sasuke up immediately after I told you that I only wanted to be friends just proves that I'm right."

Naruto stared back at her, taking in her words. He didn't know what to think or feel in that moment. How could she tell him that he didn't actually love her? Sure, he'd been jealous in the past that Sasuke had all of Sakura's affection, but nearly all of the other kunoichi in their class had a huge crush on Sasuke too and Naruto didn't have feelings for any of them in that way. Him and Sakura had built a genuine friendship over the years as shinobi. For her to say that he only sees her as a way to one-up Sasuke was an insult to him. Yet, he still wanted to know one thing…

"Do you still love Sasuke?"

Sakura lowered her gaze once again.

"Yes…" she whispered.

A red flash of anger bolted through Naruto's mind.

"How can you still love him Sakura?! After all that he's done! He tried to overthrow my dad! He tried to kill me! He even hurt you! He—"

"WHAT ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!" Sakura screamed.

The air in the room took on a grave silence.

Sakura immediately regretted her words and brought her hands over her mouth, realizing her serious error.

"Naruto, I'm sor—"

Naruto chuckled ironically. "I see, so that's what this is about…"

He turned away from her and then stepped towards the tent flap.

Sakura reached her hand out towards him with tears streaming down her cheeks, "Naruto! Please wait! I didn't mean what I said…"

Naruto stopped but didn't turn back around.

"I'm sorry if my confession made you feel uncomfortable, Sakura."

He then continued walking, leaving behind a sobbing Sakura, and ignoring all of the pointed stares of the other medical-nin who had heard their yells.

* * *

Naruto strode straight to his tent, ignoring any of his comrades who waved hello or tried to talk to him along the way. The exhaustion from the night before and his argument with Sakura had drained him completely. He wanted nothing more than to fall onto his cot and forget about everything that had just happened. When he finally arrived at the tent he was annoyed to see Shikamaru, the camp's key strategist, standing by his bed.

"What do you want, Lazy-ass?" Naruto asked irritably.

"Man, I thought you would be sleeping already," Shikamaru replied plainly.

"Well, that's what I'd like to do if you would just get the fuck out of my way!"

"Calm down, Naruto," Shikamaru continued, unscathed by his friend's anger, "I was coming by to drop off a note from Captain Kakashi."

Shikamaru held out a piece of paper which Naruto took from his hand.

"He wants you to report to his tent at eighteen hundred hours," the strategist continued as Naruto glanced at the note.

"Okay fine, I'll be there. Now will you get out of my way so that I can finally get some damned sleep!"

Shikamaru sighed as he strode out of the tent, "Man, you are such a drag sometimes Naruto."

Naruto reported to his captain's tent at the time he was told and found Kakashi leaning over his desk with two other Konoha shinobi, looking over a map and a few documents. Kakashi looked up and smiled when he saw his blonde-haired student.

* * *

"Naruto! Thank you for coming."

"I had no choice…" Naruto replied quietly.

"Ah, that's right. Could you leave us for a few minutes?" Kakashi asked the other two shinobi who quickly complied with their captain's request and left the tent.

Kakashi took a seat behind the desk and looked up at the blonde jonin standing before him.

"Well, I'll just get straight to the point then. Naruto, you're being summoned back to the village."

Naruto's eyes widened at this piece of news. "What?! But I'm only half-way done with my assignment! Why do I have to go back so early?"

"This is what the Hokage has commanded."

The jinchuruki fell silent and looked down. "Is this because…"

Kakashi sighed. "Yes, it is. You know that it happened again last night, don't you?"

Naruto's head shot back up. He had blacked out again during part of his watch the night before and when he came to, his arms and clothes had been caked in blood. He washed off in a nearby river and changed his uniform before anybody could notice. He had wanted to find the bodies of whoever he had killed before anyone else found them but he ran out of time and had to return to his post.

"…How many was it this time?" Naruto asked quietly.

"Only three, but it was brutal. The Kyuubi literally shredded their bodies to pieces."

"I see…"

Kakashi felt bad for Naruto who was clearly racked with guilt over what he had done - or more precisely - what the Kyuubi had done while using his body. The boy had trained intensely for years to contain the Kyuubi's power after the Eight Sign Seal started to weaken when he turned twelve. He even went on a three-year training journey to Mount Myoboku with Master Jiraiya - one of the legendary Sannin - to tame the demon fox contained in his body. When Naruto returned, he had successfully learned to control the Kyuubi and quickly became one of the village's strongest ninja.

Then the Uchiha coup happened and Naruto allowed the power of the Kyuubi to control him in an effort to stop Sasuke. Not only was Naruto unsuccessful, but he nearly killed a squad of Konoha jonin who had been sent to subdue him. Naruto was then placed on temporary suspension by the Hokage so that he could be monitored. The suspension was short-lived however when war was declared on Konoha by the powerful Uchiha clan who had also joined forces with the Akatsuki. With being one of the village's top jonin, Naruto was needed on the front lines in those early days of the war to protect the village. Naruto easily took down many of Konoha's enemies, but only through allowing the power of the Kyuubi to overtake him.

Whenever he was in his Kyuubi-state, Naruto was a literal killing machine. He had viciously slain over a hundred enemy shinobi in a matter of months which had quickly earned him the nickname, "The Demon of Konoha". Even the other Hidden Villages and clans knew of Naruto's dark reputation in battle.

Three months ago, the Uchiha and the Akatsuki retreated and their whereabouts had largely remained unknown. Then that's when the jinchuriki started to disappear. In an effort to gather more intelligence, and to take Naruto off the battlefield to give him time to control the Kyuubi again, the Hokage assigned his son to the Takigakure border camp they were at now. However, Naruto continued to lose control over the Kyuubi and the killings became more vicious.

"Naruto…this is the twelfth episode that has happened since you arrived. The Hokage has become gravely concerned that things will only get worse if he allows you to stay here so he is ordering you back to the village. You're to leave tonight with two escorts," Kakashi explained frankly.

Naruto kept his gaze down on the ground, looking defeated. "You think I'm a danger to everyone here, don't you?"

Kakashi didn't answer right away. He glanced at the small photo on his desk of him and a younger Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura back when they were genin under Kakashi's tutelage.

He sighed again, "Yes… I do. Which is why I sent an emergency report to the Hokage early this morning letting him know of my concerns."

Naruto continued to stare at the ground, not saying anything. It pained Kakashi to treat his student this way, but he was also responsible for the safety of the shinobi stationed at this camp. He had to do what he felt was best.

Kakashi stood up and walked over to Naruto. "You'll be leaving in two hours and you are to travel through the whole night, so I suggest taking some food pills with you." Kakashi then reached into his back pouch and pulled out a slip of paper with a seal on it. "This will suppress the Kyuubi for twenty-four hours…it's for the protection of your two escorts."

Naruto finally brought his head up to face his old sensei with a shaky resolve as he quietly allowed the seal to be placed onto his forehead.

"I'm sorry that things have to be this way, Naruto," Kakashi said quietly.

Naruto had no response other then, "Am I dismissed now?"

Kakashi nodded his head. "Yes, you are."

Without another word, Naruto turned on his heel and strode out of the tent while his former sensei regretfully watched him leave.

* * *

Naruto and his two escorts arrived at Konoha mid-morning without incident. The young shinobi was exhausted from traveling all night but he knew he had to report to his father right away. Thankfully, he was allowed to go by himself without the escorts to the Hokage office. Despite the humiliating reasons for being back in the village, Naruto couldn't help but feel some relief and comfort from being back home.

Konoha was still a fairly young Hidden Village; Naruto was part of the village's third generation. Konoha was founded by Hashirama and Tobirama Senju - two brothers who were hailed as the most powerful shinobi of their generation. The brothers had founded the village on the concept of creating a new shinobi system to replace their old ways of constant battle with rival clans. The brothers worked hard to lay down the system's foundation and build Konoha's infrastructure, but were killed in battle before they had the opportunity to lead and run the village.

That duty ended up falling to the Senju brothers' apprentice, Hiruzen Sarutobi - Konoha's Sandaime. While he was technically the first Hokage to actually lead the village, Hiruzen insisted on the title of Sandaime as he felt that the titles of Shodai and Nidaime belonged to Hashirama and Tobirama respectively. After leading the village through the two Great Shinobi Wars and slowly bringing stability to Konoha over the course of many years, Hiruzen passed away from old age. Before he passed, he named Minato Namikaze to become the Yondaime, who had been the village's Hokage for just over five years now.

Naruto swelled with pride whenever he thought of his father. Minato was a legendary shinobi within the village; one who had natural talent combined with superior leadership skills. He won many victories for Konoha during the First and Second Great Shinobi Wars, and his speed had given him the nickname, "The Yellow Flash". As Hokage, Minato's leadership quickly lived up to that of his predecessors. He successfully created temporary peace treaties with the other Hidden Villages of Suna, Kiri, and Kumo (Iwa did not agree to a treaty with any of the Hidden Villages), bringing more stability to Konoha. In recent months, a more permanent alliance had formed with Suna shortly after the new Kazekage, Gaara, came into power. Though Minato wasn't able to stop the Uchiha from defecting, he was able to stop the clan from taking over the village through quick decisions and clever thinking when he had learned of the plot through local intelligence.

The father and son duo had also been close for all of Naruto's life. With his mother dying shortly after his birth, Minato had raised Naruto all by himself. He supported Naruto and never stopped believing in him, despite the challenges that came with being a jinchuriki and a hopeless ninja student at the Academy. During the wars, Minato was forced to leave his son behind in Konoha but always made sure he was well taken care of in the company of his Academy sensei, Iruka, and would write to his son from the battlefield often. After Naruto became a genin, Minato passed on his legendary jutsu to him — the Rasengan. He had also intended to teach Naruto the Hiraishin Jutsu, but was elected Hokage before having the opportunity to put in the enormous time needed to teach such a powerful jutsu to a young genin. Naruto didn't mind though. Despite the enormous commitment that came with being Hokage, Minato would always be Naruto's father; a man that Naruto loved and respected no matter the difficulties they faced.

As Naruto made his way to the Hokage's office, he couldn't help but notice the glares and hushed conversations that went on around him as he passed through the village. As a child, Naruto had been hated by many of the villagers for containing the beast that had brutally attacked their home on the night Naruto was born. It was thanks to an order from the Sandaime to never speak of the Kyuubi, as well as the protection of his father, that the villagers never acted on their hate nor did Naruto's classmates at the Academy know anything at the time about the Kyuubi being sealed inside him.

Naruto fought hard to earn the respect of the village after becoming a genin. When Naruto came back from his three-year training journey with Master Jiraiya and was appointed chunin shortly afterwards, he had gained the respect and trust of the villagers as he protected Konoha from various threats that had appeared over the years with his own strength.

Then he threw it all away after the Uchiha defection and his dark reputation from the battlefield quickly spread to the village. Now, Naruto didn't blame the villagers for looking at him with fear and contempt, because that's how he saw himself too.

He finally arrived at the Hokage Tower and made his way up to his father's office. He knocked twice on the door to announce his arrival before letting himself in. Minato was sitting behind the Hokage desk writing up reports with the help of his aide, Shizune.

The blond-haired Hokage looked up and smiled warmly upon seeing his son, "Ah Naruto! I'm happy to see you after all this time, my son."

Naruto felt his burdens temporarily lift and couldn't help at grinning back at his father. He had missed him over these past three months.

"It's good to see you too, Old Man!"

Minato chuckled then turned to Shizune, "Can you excuse us for a while? I have a few important matters to discuss with Naruto."

"Of course, Lord Hokage!" Shizune stood up and smiled politely towards the young jonin, "Good to see you back, safe and sound, Naruto!"

"Thank you, Shizune."

When Shizune left, Minato gestured to a chair just in front of his desk. "Have a seat."

The tone in the room quickly shifted from a warm reunion to a tense friction between father and son. Both men knew that Naruto was not there under good circumstances. Naruto obeyed and sat down, giving a piercing gaze towards his father's stoic expression.

"I don't think I have to explain why you're back in the village, Naruto."

Naruto scoffed. "Well, I'm here under _your_ orders."

Minato closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This was going to be a _long_ conversation.

"Naruto, for Kakashi of all people to become so concerned that he recommended you be sent back to the village…Well frankly, it's disturbing to me. He said the last attack was so brutal that they weren't able to find all of the body parts of the men that…" he trailed off as he carefully thought through his next choice of words.

Naruto finished his sentence for him, "You mean of the men that _I_ killed?"

"No, the men that the _Kyuubi_ killed."

"If you truly believe that then why am I here?"

Minato gazed back at his son's hardened, angry expression and sighed. "In a way you're right, Naruto. It was the Kyuubi who carried out those vicious killings, but the Kyuubi can only act in cooperation with your will."

Naruto averted his gaze guiltily as he listened to his father's words.

"I thought that taking you off the battlefield, would give you an opportunity to regain control over the Kyuubi but things have only gotten worse. And until we can get to the bottom of why you can no longer control the Kyuubi inside of you, I am placing you on in-house suspension."

Naruto jerked his head up, "What?!"

"You'll still be allowed to go on missions, but only ones that don't take you away from the village," Minato continued, ignoring his son's outcry, "When you're not on missions, you'll be under observation by our Analysis and Medical teams to help you find the cause of why you cannot control the Kyuubi."

"You can't do this to me, Dad!" Naruto exclaimed as he stood up and slammed his palms onto Minato's desk. His body was shaking with rage and frustration. "Just give me one more chance! I promise I won't let you down this time!"

"You've already been given too many chances, Naruto," the Yondaime replied sternly, "this is what's best for the village and for you as well. Until you can learn to control the Kyuubi—"

"I never asked for this FUCKING thing to be sealed inside me!" Naruto shouted.

A piercing silence settled between father and son. It always came down to this whenever the topic of the Kyuubi came up between Minato and Naruto. And when it did, there was nothing that Minato could say in retort because Naruto was right — he didn't ask for any of this.

Naruto's mother, Kushina Uzumaki, had been the previous jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. After she gave birth, the seal containing the Kyuubi inside of her weakened significantly and an enemy shinobi took advantage by extracting the tailed-beast from Kushina and releasing it onto the village. In order to save the village, Minato chose to seal the beast inside of his own infant son. Unfortunately, a jinchuriki dies when their tailed beast is extracted from them, which is how Kushina had met her end that fateful night.

Minato gazed back sympathetically towards his son's outraged expression. If it were up to Minato, there would be no need for tailed beasts and jinchuriki in this world and his son could be a normal shinobi, free from the burden of containing such a powerful and feared creature. However, this was not their reality.

"Do you know why I sealed the Kyuubi inside of you, Naruto?" Minato asked softly, not breaking his eye contact with his son.

Naruto didn't answer.

Minato continued, "Because I believe that one day, you can truly master its' power and help bring an end to all this warfare for good. I believed that from the moment you were born and I continue to believe in it even now."

Naruto's expression softened a little and he let go of the tension from his body upon hearing his father's supportive words. He slowly sat back down in the chair and brought his eyes downcast once again.

"How can you believe in me still, Dad? After all that I've done… Even I don't believe in myself anymore…"

Minato's heart felt heavy at seeing his son in such a difficult state, butt he smiled warmly and stood up to ruffle Naruto's mop of blond hair.

"Because I'm your father! It's as simple as that."

One of the corners of Naruto's mouth lifted slightly, "Heh, you know you're getting sappy in your old age…"

Minato smiled once again and sat back down. "This is a difficult time for you Naruto, but I know you'll get through it. Now, get some rest and report here at eight in the morning."

* * *

 _"Please don't kill me! Please! Please!"_

 _Naruto laughed at the cowering Iwa shinobi on the ground before him. The kid couldn't have been older than fifteen. The boy was shaking as he begged for his life. Pathetic._

 _The jinchuruki snarled his lips into a cruel smile. "A real shinobi faces his death with no fear. You're a poor excuse for a ninja!" The boy yelped helplessly as Naruto lifted him by the collar. "I'll make your death nice and slow…that way you'll have plenty of time to think about your pitiful existence!"_

 _"No! Please! Don't kill me! NO!"_

 _The young shinobi screams filled Naruto's ears as he rammed a clawed hand into the boy's throat, slicing through his esophagus. He dropped the Iwa shinobi carelessly onto the ground, watching him writhe and gurgle as blood streamed from his neck. The jinchuriki watched the boy's drawn-out demise with a dark sense of satisfaction. Naruto heard himself laughing once again at the shinobi's pathetic death, his blood saturating the ground._

 _His laughing ceased when he noticed the blood moving strangely. Was it…moving on its' own? He bent forward to get a closer look. The blood suddenly formed into a large mouth of sharp teeth and lunged at Naruto, swallowing him whole before he had a chance to react._

 _The jinchuriki suddenly found himself in what appeared to be a dark cell. He was standing ankle-deep in a pool of water that emitted a strange, musty odor. Naruto tried to move his neck to get a better look around but found his body to be completely frozen in place._

 _'What the hell is going on?!'_

 ** _"Naruto."_**

 _The young jonin felt his bones grow cold at the frightening growl that just spoke his name. He tried again to move his body but his muscles refused to obey._

 _"Who's there?! Who the fuck are you?!" He yelled to the unknown, menacing voice._

 _He was answered with the sound of a disturbing chuckle that reverberated through his entire body._

 ** _"You should already know who I am."_**

 _"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Naruto bellowed, "now how do I get out of here!?"_

 _The voice didn't answer. Instead, all Naruto could hear was a sick laughter that seemed to be mocking him. The jinchuruki cursed to himself as he struggled to move. The laughter started getting louder, as if someone was getting closer and closer to him. As it crescendoed, Naruto could hear what sounded like people screaming. The sound terrified him and sent his heartbeat into a frenzy._

 _'I can't move!'_

 _He struggled desperately to move his body as the sounds became so loud, he could no longer hear his own thoughts. Naruto then felt something wrap around his neck and squeezed until the airway in his throat was completely closed off. Saliva dribbled from his mouth as he slowly suffocated._

 ** _"You're too weak to deny me anymore…"_**

Naruto's eyes shot open, his breathing was ragged. After having a long day, he had snuck off to a hillside on the outskirts of the village just by the Senju River and must have nodded off when he laid down on the grass. These disturbing nightmares were a new phenomenon, having started shortly after arriving back at the village, and they became more vivid each time.

He had been back in the village for a week and was spending his time doing missions within Konoha and having his mind examined by the Analysis Team. The missions were mostly simple guard work around classfied meetings within the village or delivering encoded messages to the Hokage office. They were all B-ranked and above; Minato had spared his son the embarrassment of carrying out errands and chores for the villagers just as he did in his early genin days.

The sessions with the Analysis Team had not been going well either. Several members of the team had attempted to enter Naruto's mind only to be blocked by the powerful chakra of the Kyuubi. For Naruto though, this was somewhat of a relief to him. He said nothing about the nightmares he had been having as he was sure that they would go away eventually, and he didn't want to give his father any reasons to extend Naruto's suspension. He wanted to regain control of the Kyuubi so that he could serve his village properly — but he wanted to accomplish this on his terms.

Naruto felt isolated and lost though. Between Sakura rejecting him and being pulled from his mission early to essentially be placed on house-arrest, Naruto felt humiliated and empty. A few of his friends were still posted in the village but he had been avoiding them all week. He was too embarrassed to face them just yet. And Sasuke…

That overwhelming feeling of failure still haunted Naruto. He understood that the young man who had once been his best friend was now a grave threat to the village. If Naruto were to ever encounter Sasuke directly, it was his duty as a Konoha jonin to kill Sasuke through whatever means possible. Yet, Naruto couldn't help but feel that he had let Sasuke down somehow.

The two had formed a unique bond during their time as shinobi together and Naruto had thought that Sasuke would have trusted him with anything. But he was wrong. Not only that, he couldn't even persuade Sasuke to stay with the village that he had faithfully served his whole life. Even after he allowed the Kyuubi to take over him in an effort to make Sasuke stay by force, he still wasn't strong enough. If Naruto wasn't strong enough to save one friend, how could he ever hope to attain his dream of being Hokage someday?

He laid back down on his back with his hands behind his head, staring up at the pink and orange clouds just above him as he contemplated.

His view was suddenly interrupted by the smiling, calm face of the Yondaime. "Ah! There you are!"

"DAD!" Naruto jumped up with a shock. "Don't scare me like that, ya know!"

Minato chuckled. "Sorry Naruto, I didn't mean to scare you!" He then sat down on the grass and gestured next to him.

Naruto complied and the two sat quietly watching the river stream by in front of them for a while.

"How are things between you and Sakura?" Minato asked, breaking the silence.

Naruto visibly tensed but kept his gaze at the river ahead of him.

"There's nothing between us," he quietly replied.

Minato looked over at his son and saw his dejected expression.

' _It's just as I suspected…Sakura still rejected him even with Sasuke out of the picture now._ '

The Yondaime sighed and turned back to look at the river. "Well, I received some good news this morning," Minato said, changing the topic, "Hiashi Hyuga and I have finally reached an agreement that would officially make the Hyuga Clan apart of the village!"

Naruto glanced over at his father. He knew that his father had been working hard towards such an alliance ever since he became Hokage, but given the current distractions and recent disappointments in his life, he couldn't bring himself to be much interested in the news.

"That's good…"

Minato nodded, ignoring his son's clear lack of interest in the topic.

"They're the most powerful clan in the Land of Fire — even more powerful than the Senju and Uchiha, in my opinion. To have them as allies will help to further strengthen the village!"

Minato looked over again towards his son who was still gazing towards the river with a bored expression on his face.

"Naruto, you actually have a very significant role to play in this alliance," he continued.

This grabbed the blonde jinchuriki's attention who snapped his head over towards his father. "What? Me?"

Minato smiled and nodded. "I know you won't like the idea at first, but hear your father out."

Naruto stared back at his dad, unsure and hesitant over what he would say next.

Minato continued, "You see Naruto, alliances such as these traditionally do best when sealed with…an arranged marriage."

Naruto's eyes widened, "You're joking right?"

Minato held his hands up with a sheepish smile on his face, "Now like I said Naruto, hear your father out! I know a lot of modern changes have occurred for your generation, but arranged marriages haven't completely died out."

Naruto was familiar with the point Minato was making. Most of his friends' parents were in arranged marriages (Naruto's own parents were one of few that married for love in their generation). Also, the recent alliance between Suna and Konoha had been sealed with an engagement between Shikamaru and the Kazekage's sister, Temari. The two were to be married next month just before the Rinne Festival.

"But what many people your age don't realize is that there is a practicality with arranged marriages," Minato continued, "the match isn't necessarily determined by convenience. They're carefully selected by two families who know each other well enough to have confidence that their children would be a good partner for one another. I've known Hiashi Hyuga for many years now, and while I can't say that I know his eldest daughter just as well, based on my few meetings with her and from what I've learned about her from Hiashi, I have confidence that she would be a good match for you, Naruto."

"That's it, I've heard enough!" the jinchuriki interrupted as he abruptly stood up and glared down at his father, "It's bad enough that you have control over my career as a shinobi, but now you want to control who I spend the rest of my life with?"

"This has nothing to do with controlling you," his father replied calmly. "At least let me finish what I have to say before you start overreacting."

Naruto begrudgingly complied and sat back down on the ground near his father, crossing his arms tightly over his chest.

"Naruto, I would never have agreed to this proposed arrangement if I thought there was any possibility that it would make you miserable."

Naruto glanced inquisitively towards his father.

"…The reason why your mother didn't struggle to control the Kyuubi was because of the love her and I shared. I want nothing more than for you to have a similar love with a person that you can spend your life with."

Naruto's gaze slightly softened as he uncrossed his arms.

"Hiashi's eldest daughter, Hinata, is around your age. And while she's led a different life from yours, I think you would be surprised at just how much you two have in common if you both are open to getting to know the other."

Minato shifted his weight so that he was looking directly at his son.

"And Naruto, let me be clear on one thing — this will be your decision in the end."

Naruto shot his head up in surprise, "What? Didn't you just say that the arrangement is already done?"

Minato shook his head. "The alliance between Konoha and the Hyuga is all but done; the arrangement between you and Hinata is merely a proposal for now. I strongly encourage you to at least be open to it, but I would never force something like this upon you. I've already discussed this with Hiashi. If you decide not to marry Hinata, we will find other ways to seal the alliance. All I want is for you to be happy."

Naruto took his gaze down towards the grass beneath them as he took in his father's words. He thought that he had loved Sakura for all these years only to find out that he had been wrong all this time. Who was he to say what love is? Maybe his father had a point with this whole arranged marriage thing…Shikamaru didn't speak much about his own arranged upcoming marriage but the guy didn't seem to be miserable about it.

Naruto mentally shook his head. What was he thinking? This whole idea was ludicrous! Sure, things didn't work out with Sakura, but that didn't mean that he was willing to get married to someone he never met before! He would like to be married with a family of his own someday, but not now. He had too many other matters to attend to in his life instead of courting some girl from the Hyuga clan to appease his dad. No, if his dad was giving him a choice then Naruto wasn't going to bother with any of this.

"I only have one request, Son," Minato said before Naruto had a chance to voice his decision to decline the arrangement.

"Join me for dinner at the Hyuga compound tomorrow evening. It would just be me, you, Lord Hiashi, and Lady Hinata. You should at least meet her first before making any final decisions. I promise that this will be all that I ask of you."

Naruto clenched his fist around his pant leg before biting out, "Fine." He then stood up once more. "Is that all, Dad?" he asked irritably.

"Hm, oh yes! I almost forgot." The Yondaime stood up and rummaged around in his flak jacket. "I'm sure you want to see what she looks like! She's actually a very pretty young lady," Minato said as he handed his son a picture, which Naruto stuffed immediately into one of the pockets of his own jacket without so much of a glance at it.

" _Now_ is that it, Dad?"

Minato smiled, unfazed by his son's attitude. "Yes, it is. Enjoy the rest of your evening, Naruto! We'll talk more in my office tomorrow morning."

Naruto turned around to walk away.

"Night Dad," he said without looking back.

Minato still smiled as he watched his son's retreating form.

"His stubbornness certainly rivals yours, Kushina," he said to himself.

* * *

After enjoying three bowls of his favorite ramen at Ichiraku's, Naruto arrived at the male shinobi barracks where he lived, or more accurately, where he laid his head at night. The barracks never felt like home to him. It was just a place where he stored his belongings and had a bed to sleep on.

He grew up in an apartment with his father until he went on his three-year training journey to Mount Myoboku when he was thirteen, which was right around the time his father became Hokage. When Naruto returned, his father had moved into the Hokage Residence and not wanting to feel singled out from his shinobi comrades, Naruto opted to move into the male barracks where several of his other friends were already staying at the time.

He had fond memories of late night card games and hanging out with the guys. Nowadays, it was rare when all of them were in the village. Ever since the war started, most of Naruto's friends had been split up to various posts around the Land of Fire. There were a few that Naruto hadn't even seen for nearly a year now.

"Big Brother Naruto!"

Naruto's thoughts were interrupted by a young teenage boy just in front of him.

Naruto smiled and waved, "Oh hey, Konoharamu!"

Konoharamu was a few years younger than Naruto and had recently been promoted to chunin rank. The boy was the grandson of the late Sandaime. Orphaned by the Second Shinobi War, Konoharamu was raised by his grandfather. But when the old man passed, Konoharamu came to live at the barracks since he was already a genin at the time. The boy still had a few living relatives, such as his uncle Asuma, to look out for him but the young chunin always had a strong admiration for Naruto who in turn always watched over him like an older brother would.

"I've been looking for you for hours now!" Konoharamu explained as he ran over to Naruto. "Where have you been, Big Bro?"

Naruto smiled sheepishly at him. "Oh, um, I just wanted to get away for a little while to clear my head, that's all."

Konoharamu nodded, quickly accepting Naruto's response, and changed the subject. "I wanted to show you how far I've come with my Rasengan training! I'm getting so close to actually forming the chakra into the right shape! You gotta come see what I can do!" the boy explained excitedly.

Naruto smiled. It made him happy to still Konoharamu's respect and admiration, despite knowing about…recent events.

"Actually, Konoharamu, I'm going to have to take a raincheck on seeing the progress of your training."

"What?! Why?"

"I've…got a lot on my mind right now and I'd be too distracted to give you any pointers."

"All right fine! You can just watch me tomorrow night then!"

Naruto winced inwardly as he remembered the dreaded dinner that he had to attend to.

"So…I have this thing I have to go to with my dad tomorrow. But the night after tomorrow I'll come watch you! I promise!"

Naruto brought his fist towards Konoharamu who cautiously looked down before grinning once again.

"That's a promise, Boss!" the boy exclaimed as he bumped his fist with Naruto's, "I know you don't go back on your word!"

* * *

Naruto entered his room, relieved that he could finally relax. He untied his hitai-ate and placed it onto his dresser. He threw his flak jacked onto the bed and took off his shirt. He fell backwards onto his mattress and sighed. He opened his azure eyes to stare at the plain, wooden ceiling just above him.

" _I want nothing more than for you to have a similar love with a person that you can share your life with…All I want is for you to be happy._ "

His father's words echoed through his mind. Naruto flipped onto his stomach and threw a pillow over his head, as if it would block all of the rambling thoughts from his brain. How could his dad expect him to be happy by proposing a marriage to a girl he didn't know? Naruto couldn't wait to get this stupid dinner over with so that he could tell his dad that he wanted nothing to do with this arrangement. There were many things out of control in Naruto's life, but who he would marry is something that he alone would decide.

He shifted his legs over his flak jacket that was still on the bed and he heard something drop to the floor. He lifted his head and saw the small picture that his dad had given to him earlier. He still hadn't bothered to look at it, but would be lying if he said that he wasn't curious as to what Hinata looked like. He bent over to take the picture off the floor and flipped it around as he leaned back onto the bed. One of his eyebrows raised curiously as he studied the picture.

It was black and white, but it was a portrait of a girl around his age with long dark hair that cascaded over her shoulders. She wore a light-colored kimono along with a kanzashi flower pinned in her hair, just above her bangs. She wore a small, gentle smile on her face but it was her eyes that stood out. The Hyuga were known for their pale, pupil-less eyes that were often cold and expressionless, but Hinata's were different. Her eyes were kind and warm, and there was a genuineness to her expression in the photo that Naruto was oddly mesmerized by.

Maybe tomorrow's dinner wouldn't be that bad after all.


	3. First Meeting

**A/N - Thank you to everyone who has been showing support for this story so far! There are two reviewers I wanted to give a specific shout out to:**

 **FluffAddict001 - Thank you for taking the time to provide detailed feedback! I do want to clarify that Naruto's confession to Sakura in the last chapter wasn't an impulse; he had planned it out. He knew she always loved Sasuke, but with him defecting from the village and Naruto & Sakura growing closer through their shared pain, Naruto believed he had picked the right time to confess to her. I do see your point about him sounding like a 12-year old at times though lol I've given him the short-temper he has in canon but he is a more mature character in this fic so it's a tricky balance. I've adjusted some things in material that I've already written so I hope you'll see an improvement in future chapters :)**

 **Guest (the one who said they normally don't review) - Your review made my day when I read it, thank you so much! :)**

* * *

Hinata walked through the halls of the Hyuga Mansion with her head held high. She was elegantly beautiful this evening with a shimmery midnight blue kimono that accentuated her porcelain skin. The kimono was embroidered with white butterflies and violet flowers towards the bottom of her sleeves and hem, all held together with a silver obi. She wore her dark hair down, save for the shorter pieces that normally fell next to her cheeks, which were tied back into a loose bun behind her head with two silver, ornate pins.

Tonight she and her father were having dinner with her supposed future fiancé and father-in-law. After the news had sunk in that a marriage was being proposed between her and one of the most dangerous shinobi out of Konoha, Hinata was able to find a silver lining. This was her chance to restore her self-honor as well as to do her part to ensure the future of her clan was bright; particularly for those from the branch family. It was for those reasons alone that Hinata had spent the whole day brushing up on her knowledge on topics such as futon ninjutsu, the history of Konoha's Hokages, and the Uchiha clan. It was also the reason why she had selected her favorite kimono to wear tonight. She would play the role of the type of woman that Naruto Namikaze would want to marry and she would play it well.

However, she refused to ever fall in love with him. That was the only way she could maintain any sense of control over the situation. She would stay focused on her end goal of creating a better life for the poorer members of her clan. She also realized that she probably wouldn't see much of Naruto anyway after they were married; a shinobi of his rank would be off on missions the majority of the time, especially if a war were still going on. Once they were married, she couldn't care less if he was rarely home with her or even if he took up a mistress back in Konoha.

Fate had already taken away her one chance for a life of love. If a life of duty was what was in store for her, then so be it.

Hinata reached the formal dining room where her father was waiting for her and stopped to take a deep breath before placing her hand over the shoji door to slide it open. Like a warrior stepping into battle, Hinata entered the room with determination to face her fate.

* * *

Naruto walked two steps behind his father as they made their silent journey towards the Hyuga compound. He had spent most of his day with his father's assistant, Shizune, as she gave him a crash course about the Hyuga's traditional customs and mannerisms. Despite her best efforts, Shizune had abruptly ended the etiquette lesson by telling Naruto he would do best to keep his big mouth shut for most of the evening. The blonde ninja's brash mannerisms were clearly something that would not be tamed to the Hyuga's polished standards in just one day.

The two men were dressed in their formal shinobi uniform, which was similar to their combat uniform with the difference being a uniform jacket instead of a flak jacket over a long-sleeved shirt. Naruto also had a red armband over his left bicep with the Konoha leaf symbol, which indicated his rank as a jonin, while Minato wore his while Hokage haori over his uniform.

Naruto's stomach tightened up with each step that took them closer to the compound. He still had no idea why his father thought that Naruto would be open at all to something like this. Sure, Hinata was a pretty young woman, but there was no way that an unconventional smart-ass like him could ever fit in with the conservative, uptight Hyuga clan. He was eager to get this evening over with so that he could tell his dad that there was no way he was going through with an arranged marriage.

"Ah! We're almost there!" Minato exclaimed, interrupting Naruto's train of thought.

Naruto looked up and could see the tall wooden gates of the compound just several yards in front of them. As they got closer, the tall tiled roof of the Hyuga Mansion could be seen peeking over the gate.

' _Shit…this clan is more loaded than I thought!_ ' Naruto thought in dumbstruck to himself.

When they reached the gate, there were two guards standing post. Both bowed towards Minato, with the one on the left greeting, "Lord Hokage! Thank you for coming, Lord Hiashi is expecting both of you. Follow me."

"Great, thank you!" Minato responded back.

As they followed the Hyuga guard, Naruto couldn't help but notice the well-kept grounds and the ornate statues that line their path to the mansion. With the exception of the Capital, Naruto had never been to such an opulent place. If this clan was so well-off, Naruto thought to himself, why would they want to join forces with a working-class village like Konoha?

When they finally entered the mansion, the inside was even more lavish than the outside. Paper shoji walls lined the hallways, decorated with colorful artwork and ornate decorations. The smooth wooden floors were pristine and nearly glistened underneath the silver candle-lit chandeliers that hung elegantly above.

They continued to follow the guard down what seemed to be an endless maze until they finally reached a set of closed shoji doors. The guard slid one of the doors open enough to allow him to speak to whoever was on the other side, but not enough for Naruto to actually see who was in there.

"Lord Hiashi, your guests have arrived," the guard announced.

"Good," a stern voice answered, "send them in."

"Yes, sir," the guard bowed and then turned towards the two Konoha visitors.

Naruto's heartbeat became faster and his palms started to sweat as he watched the guard slide the shoji door further to reveal the occupants on the other side.

"Lord Hiashi and Lady Hinata will see you both now," the guard said before stepping away.

"Thank you!" Minato answered back.

On the other side of the doors was a tall man close to Minato's age, with long dark hair and featureless, pale eyes. He wore a traditional kimono and hakama pants with a dark haori, which had the Hyuga clan symbol etched on the front. The man wore a deep frown on his hardened face, making Naruto further nervous to meet the man who was proposed to be his own father-in-law someday.

"Hiashi! Good to see you again so soon!" Minato greeted warmly as he stepped into the room. The frown on Hiashi's face immediately turned into an amiable smile as he moved in to hug Minato, much to Naruto's shock.

"Minato, it's good to see you as well my friend!"

Naruto stared at them for a moment, trying to process two of the most powerful men in the Land of Fire being so casual and informal with one another. The young shinobi then hesitantly turned his attention to the young woman standing just behind Hiashi.

She was a young, petite woman wearing a dark blue kimono and had long indigo hair that went down to her mid-back. She had a little bit of make-up on; just enough to highlight her pearlescent eyes and kind face. She smiled as she watched the two men greet one another before her eyes drifted to where Naruto was. The blonde jinchuriki quickly looked nervously away when she made eye contact.

"You must be Naruto, I'm glad to finally meet you," Hiashi said cordially as he turned his attention towards the young man, "I've heard so much about you from your father over the years!"

Naruto remained frozen in place, unsure of how to properly respond to the Hyuga Clan Head. It was then that Minato discretely shoved his elbow into his son's side, making him bend over to bow towards Hiashi.

"The pleasure is all mine, sir!" Naruto answered stiffly before shakily straightening back up.

The corner of Hiashi's mouth twitched slightly in amusement at Naruto's obvious uneasiness. He then gestured for the young woman in the room to step forward.

"This is my daughter, Hinata."

Hinata bowed smoothly towards both of them and smiled warmly, "It's an honor to see you again, Lord Hokage, and to meet you as well, Naruto," she greeted softly.

"Lady Hinata, it's good to see you again as well! You've certainly grown quite a bit since I last saw you!" Minato said.

The room then waited on Naruto to say something back, but the young man found himself frozen in place once again. Hinata was much prettier up close and her mannerisms were more elegant than what Naruto was used to in comparison to the other girls he was usually around. His head was spinning over the fact that this young woman was being proposed to become his wife someday. He felt his father jab him once again, making Naruto clench his eyes and bend forward awkwardly.

"Um, nice to meet you too, Hinata!"

 _'Oh shit…was I supposed to call her Lady Hinata? Or Ma'am? Or am I allowed to just call her Hinata? Damn! I'm not used to all this formal crap…'_

Hinata studied the nervous young man in front of her and felt her own emotions mirroring his. Her stomach was in knots and she had to stop herself from fidgeting too much with her hands. In front of her was supposed to be the infamous Demon of Konoha; a shinobi possessed by the feared Kyuubi spirit who had slaughtered hundreds of enemies in battle. Yet, all she could see right now was a boy who was frightened by his surroundings and the prospect of meeting his future wife and father-in-law.

Minato clapped his son on the shoulder, subtly bringing him back up to a standing position. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I can sure go for something to eat soon! Shall we all sit down for dinner?"

Hiashi nodded in agreement, "Yes, let's have a seat in the dining room. Our meal should be ready."

The two Hyuga hosts then led the way into an adjacent room.

Minato squeezed Naruto's shoulder reassuringly, "Just relax and enjoy the company, my son."

* * *

Dinner was fairly uneventful. Hiashi and Minato swapped old war stories and discussed current politics occurring within their realms of responsibility like old friends do. Meanwhile, Naruto and Hinata sat across from one another in awkward silence slowly picking at their food. Hinata would occasionally smile over towards her father and his old friend whenever a humorous story or a clever remark came up, but Naruto remained still during the course of their meal. His nerves had killed his appetite and he also wasn't used to the rich foods provided by the Hyuga household. He'd gladly take his Ichiraku ramen or even his field rations over tonight's meal.

Hinata couldn't help but notice Naruto's clear disinterest in being there. He hadn't spoken a word to her all evening nor had he even looked at her. She had started the evening determined to be the confident, sociable woman she had always aspired to be instead of the shy, timid girl she actually was. This arrangement was certainly not her first choice, but it was her last chance to redeem herself and actually do something good for her clan. She would not let the past repeat itself.

Yet when the four of them sat down to dinner, and her and Naruto were left on their own to start a conversation, all of the topics that Hinata had planned out in her head ahead of time, quickly slipped away. There were a few moments where Hinata felt brave enough to overcome her nervousness, but each time she glanced over at the blond shinobi across from her, her overwhelming shyness took over and she would quickly look back down towards her food. As the meal neared its' end, Hinata felt the heat of embarrassment all over her body and a solid rock of nerves lying in the pit of her stomach. She was a fool to think that she could suddenly transform herself into a charming, sociable young woman through sheer willpower and a pretty kimono. She pushed her food to the side of her plate feeling defeated. Naruto and Lord Hokage would leave tonight, and then her father would call her into his office the following morning to inform her that Naruto would not be going through with the arrangement. She would disappoint her father and let down her clan once again as a hopeless failure.

As the servants took away the last plates from the table, Minato and Hiashi exchanged knowing glances with the other. It was not lost on them that their children had not spoken a single word to each other during the whole meal.

Hiashi cleared his throat. "Hinata?"

Hinata snapped out of her thoughts and looked over. "Yes, Father?"

"Lord Hokage and I have some private business to discuss for a little while. Why don't you take Naruto on a tour of the gardens? It would give you two some time to get to know each other a little better without the interfering presence of your fathers," Hiashi suggested.

Hinata felt all the blood in her face rushing to her cheeks but managed to forge a small smile. "I would be happy to, Father," she bowed respectfully towards Hiashi before standing up from the table and turning towards Naruto, too nervous to look at him directly, "N-Naruto, follow me this way please."

As Hinata stepped quietly out of the room, Naruto stole an uncomfortable glance towards his father who was gazing sternly back at him. Quickly getting the hint, Naruto scrambled to his feet to follow the young lady.

"Uh sure! Right behind you!" he called out.

* * *

When the would-be couple left, the two men remaining in the room sighed.

"My apologies, Hiashi. I knew that Naruto would not be very receptive to the idea of an arranged marriage, but I thought that he at least would have made an effort to at least have a conversation with Hinata tonight," Minato mused out loud.

"There's no need to apologize for your son's demeanor, Minato. After all, I wasn't keen on this idea either," the Hyuga leader replied.

The Yondaime gave a rueful grin, "Yes that's true! I was the one who had to convince you that my son and your daughter would potentially be a good match for each other."

Hiashi sighed. "Given Hinata's recent embarrassment a few months ago, I only want her to be happy. She's grown up with a heavy burden on her shoulders placed by our clan's Elders. I'm still worried about history repeating itself but if your son is really the man you say he is, I think this could work out."

Minato nodded in agreement but was curious about something. "Hiashi, how did you persuade Hinata to support the arrangement with her and Naruto?"

Hiashi took a sip of his tea and placed the cup firmly back onto the table. "I'm not proud of this, but I didn't give Hinata a choice about the arrangement." Minato's eyes slightly widened in surprise. Hiashi continued, "Hinata was raised to place duty before anything else and at the end of the day, that is what she follows. If I had approached this with her as a proposal that would make her happy, she never would have gone along with it. In her mind, her chance at happiness has already been taken away from her."

Minato studied his friend's sad expression before glancing down, "I see…"

"But be rest assured, Namikaze," Hiashi started again, looking determinedly towards his old friend, "I will not allow my daughter to suffer any more embarrassment or hurt than she already has. I appreciate you as a father, allowing your son to have a choice in all of this, but your son will have to make his decision swiftly or I will make it for him."

Minato held his hands up sheepishly, "Of course, I understand Hiashi! Give Naruto a chance, I have full confidence that he will make the right choice here."

Hiashi gave a self-assured smile before sipping his tea again, "I hope you're right, my friend."

* * *

The young couple had been walking in silence for the past ten minutes, save for Hinata's occasional remark about out a particular feature in the gardens and Naruto's stiff responses. The blonde shinobi observed the pretty young woman walking in front of him. She was clearly uncomfortable with having to entertain him while their fathers were having their private meeting, but at least she was trying. He on the other hand had made no effort so far this evening to make the whole experience any less awkward. If anything, his lack of effort probably made things worse. He sighed to himself. Hinata had to be just as dissatisfied with the proposed marriage as he was, and there was no point in further punishing her with his indifference.

"So, um, Hina- er, I mean Lady Hin-," he started, prompting both of them to stop and Hinata to turn around. Naruto nervously rubbed the back of his head, "I'm sorry, I'm not very good at all this formal stuff. What's the right name to call you by?"

Hinata was surprised by Naruto's question, but from the sheepish expression on his whiskered face, she could tell that he was being sincere. It was hard to believe that she was standing in front of a man that was the vessel to the feared Kyuubi.

She gave him a small, reassuring smile, "You can just call me Hinata."

Naruto relaxed and smiled back at her, "Easy enough!" He then realized that she was waiting on him to finish what he had started to say earlier. "So, these gardens look pretty big," he observed, "how much time does it take to care for all this?"

Hinata's earlier nerves calmed down though Naruto's simple question on a topic she was very knowledgeable about.

"Actually, we have a small team of clansman who are very skilled at gardening to take care of the Mansion grounds full-time," she answered, "I also have a small section that I take care of myself."

Her response surprised Naruto. From looking at her and knowing about her high-class upbringing, he would assume that the Hyuga princess wouldn't go anything near something that even resembled manual labor.

"Really?" he replied, "Where at?"

Hinata's expression brightened, "I can show you! There's something that I wanted to check on anyway."

Naruto grinned, "Lead the way!"

He followed her down a small stone path and over a wooden bridge that sat over one of the vast koi ponds in the gardens. They stopped just in front of a dormant cherry blossom tree with a small stone bench nearby. Naruto could see a small patch of dirt with a wooden trellis wrapped with flowing green stems and buds.

Hinata knelt down in front of the trellis and delicately lifted one of the buds with her fingers. "Not tonight I guess…" she sighed.

"What is that?" Naruto asked.

Hinata smiled at him and replied, "This is a moonflower."

"Moonflower?"

"Yes, normally they're very difficult to grow this time of year but one of the gardeners helped me to find just the right spot that would help give it the best chance of thriving." She stood up and turned towards her blond guest. "What's special about the moonflower is that it only blooms a few times before it dies, and it will only bloom at night time. I've been checking every night since it started to grow to see if the flowers have bloomed."

Naruto raised one of his eyebrows quizzically. "Seems like a lot of work for a flower that only one person will ever see."

Hinata smiled. "Yes, perhaps it is but," she turned towards her beloved flower once again, "I think that only makes the flower more beautiful. It's easy to admire a flower that blooms in the daylight for many weeks so that it can be seen by everyone. But it's also easy to take a flower like that for granted. That's why I'm so drawn to the moonflower, the fact that it will only bloom a few times makes me pay more attention to it and appreciate its' beauty even more…"

Naruto watched Hinata with slight fascination as she shared her deep musings over something as simple as a flower and would be lying if he said that he wasn't mesmerized by her line of thinking.

Hinata suddenly jolted, as if someone had pinched her, and she quickly turned back towards Naruto.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to ramble on like that! I must sound so silly…" she lamented with embarrassment.

Naruto gave her one of his reassuring Namikaze grins. "Hey, don't worry about it, Hinata! I actually think it's pretty cool that you've put so much care and thought into something like that! I haven't met many people who think the way you do." That last comment made the Hyuga princess blush causing Naruto to look away nervously and rub the back of his head once again. "I mean that as a compliment of course!" he added.

Hinata smiled as she tried to tone down her blush. "Thank you, Naruto, that's very kind of you to say." She stepped away from her small, personal garden and went towards the path they came from. "I'm sure that you and your father will need to head home soon, so we should return to the mansion," she said as she turned towards Naruto.

He nodded in reply, "Yeah, okay."

The two walked beside the other on their journey back. Their conversation along the way was still limited to the topic of the various sights and features of the Hyuga grounds, but it came easier this time around.

* * *

Minato and Naruto were quietly making their way back to Konoha from the Hyuga Compound. The Yondaime glanced over towards his son who had been silent since they left to return to the village.

"Well, Naruto you know I'm a man of my word and I promised that tonight's dinner was all that I would be asking of you — the rest of this is all up to you. So, what did you think of Lady Hinata?"

Naruto stopped. When the evening started, he couldn't wait to reach this moment where he could tell his dad about how terrible of an idea this all was. Yet now, he found himself seriously pondering his father's question and kept seeing the image of Hinata kneeling in her small garden, talking passionately about the beauty of the flower she had been patiently waiting to bloom. There was a glimmer in her pearlescent eyes as she had spoke that Naruto found himself strangely drawn to. The idea of getting married to someone he barely knew was still absurd to him, but the idea of getting to know the Hyuga princess better…now that was something that he couldn't get out of his head. He lifted the corner of his mouth into a pleased smirk before responding to his father's question.

"Actually, I kind of like her."

 **A/N: Let me know what you think by leaving a review :)**


	4. A New Friendship

**A/N: A big thank you again to all who have been supporting this fic! Whether you've left a review, added this story to your favorites or alerts, or you're just a quiet reader whose enjoying the ride so far :) I apologize that the last chapter was shorter (this chapter is only a tiny bit longer, I'm sorry!) but it's just how my writing style is when I start a story out. Upcoming chapters will gradually get longer.**

 **Many of you also asked about the embarrassing event that happened to Hinata; I have not revealed it yet so you haven't missed anything! It won't be revealed in this chapter either but it will be soon...**

* * *

A young man briskly walked through the winding hallways of an underground cavern. The man had his ash-gray hair tied behind his head and wore black, circular-rimmed glasses. His name was Kabuto Yakushi; one of the most powerful medical-nin in the Akatsuki. He was eager to report to his master, Orochimaru, on the latest intelligence received regarding a certain jinchuriki they had yet to capture.

"Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto greeted as he entered the room where his master was currently sitting.

The long-haired, snake-eyed man lifted his head and gave a venomous smirk towards his subordinate.

"Ah, Kabuto, any new developments as to where our sly little fox is hiding?" he inquired with his unsettlingly smooth voice.

The medical-nin nodded. "As we suspected, Naruto has been called away from the Takigakure border back to Konoha. Our sources indicate that he'll be there for quite some time."

Orochimaru leaned back in his chair with a satisfied glint in his eyes. "Excellent, our plan to attack Konoha and capture the Kyuubi can finally be set into motion."

Kabuto grinned maliciously. "Yes, I've already alerted our forces in Oto. They're running practice drills of the attack as we speak".

"Good," the snake summoner stated as he stood up and walked over to his right-hand man, "our patience will soon be rewarded!"

His disturbing chuckle echoed off the cavern walls.

* * *

It had been a week since that dinner at the Hyuga compound and word about the alliance had gotten out on both sides. Unfortunately, some were vehemently against the idea of the Hyuga clan becoming part of Konoha. A few of the clan heads in Konoha were fearful of a repeat of the Uchiha coup, while some of the elders and members of the Main Hyuga Household were resistant to joining a village that was engaged in a grueling war. Not to mention, many of the Hyuga were concerned over the protection of their Kekkei Genkai: The Byakugan.

This meant that Minato and Hiashi had a few more rough edges to smooth over than they initially expected, and thus any formal announcement of an engagement between a member from each side would have to be put off. Even though Naruto had not officially agreed to the proposed marriage between him and Hinata, it was clear that he wasn't vehemently against it as he was in the beginning. His father had strongly encouraged him to take advantage of the extra time that was being given to him to get to know Hinata a little better.

It was now solely on Naruto to continue any contact with the Hyuga princess but the young jinchuriki had a hard time coming up with a way to see Hinata again without coming across as being too eager. Hinata never left the confines of the Hyuga property, so the only Naruto could interact with her would be through a formal request to visit with her at the compound, which was too awkward and traditional for Naruto's taste. He was simply interested in getting to know her and that was it. He had no idea if he would even want to date Hinata, let alone marry her. Something else that bothered him too was that he didn't know how Hinata felt about all this. For all he knew, this proposed arranged marriage was ruining her life and he had no desire to do that to her, no matter what.

Naruto had not seen much of his father over the past week, but Minato must have somehow figured out that his son was running into trouble in finding an opportunity to see Hinata again, so he handed Naruto one today. Currently, Naruto was on his way to the Hyuga compound to deliver a sealed message from the Hokage to Hiashi Hyuga, and Naruto was specifically instructed to personally hand the scroll to the Hyuga Leader himself. The blond shinobi found himself trotting swiftly down the path from Konoha that led to the Hyuga compound. He'd be lying to himself if he said that he wasn't a little bit excited about the idea of running into Hinata while he was there.

When he reached the estate, he saw two Hyuga guards standing by the main gate. Naruto straightened his flak jacket and walked confidently over to the guards.

"Excuse me, sir," he stated, "I have a message from Lord Hokage to deliver to Lord Hiashi."

"Thank you for delivering it," one of the guards answered and held his hand out, "I'll make sure that he receives it."

Naruto tightened his grip on the scroll. "Actually, I was given an order to deliver the message in-person to him. If you'd like, I can wait out here until Lord Hiashi is ready to see me."

The guard stared back at the determined blond shinobi for a moment before his colleague leaned over and whispered something into his ear, prompting the guard to nod in reply.

The other guard then returned to his position and looked over at Naruto. "Very well, Mr. Namikaze, follow me."

Naruto flinched at being addressed so formally but was satisfied to be allowed inside. He followed the guard into the Mansion and through several winding hallways until they reached a small courtyard.

"Lord Hiashi is currently in a meeting, but I'll let him know of your presence," the guard stated.

"Thank you."

Naruto watched the guard walk away as he sighed and took a seat at the edge of one of the ledges looking over the courtyard. Though he was alone now, he knew damn well that there had to be at least five Hyuga guards watching him carefully in that moment. Just because Hiashi was good friends with the Hokage didn't mean that the clan trusted the Yondaime's son to not do any harm while on their grounds.

He looked across the way and observed a few Hyuga clan members milling about down the hall. He felt uncomfortable when they hesitated upon seeing him and whispered to each other behind their hands before quickly continuing on their way. All of the Hyuga Clan members could be identified through their dark long hair, pale featureless eyes, and their attire of traditional robes. With his bright blue eyes, spiky blond hair, and his Konoha combat uniform, Naruto stuck out like a weed in a flower bed.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement coming from down the hallway. Turning to see if it was Hiashi, he was instead greeted by the image of Hinata walking towards him. She didn't appear to have noticed him as she had two companions with her. On Hinata's left, was a slightly older woman with long black hair, and on the right was a younger girl with dark brown hair falling over her shoulders, whom Hinata was currently talking to. Hinata herself looked a bit different from her appearance at dinner a week ago. Her silky indigo hair was tied back into a loose bun that sat at the nape of her neck, and she wore a plain lavender kimono tied together with a simple purple obi. She had no makeup on, but that didn't take anything away from her natural beauty.

"Hey Hinata!" Naruto waved.

Hinata stopped suddenly and looked over towards him, clearly surprised to see him there.

"Big Sister, who's that ninja and why is he addressing you so casually?" the young girl at Hinata's side asked with slight aggravation.

Instead of answering her little sister's question, Hinata turned towards the woman at her other side and asked, "Lady Hotaru, would you mind taking Hanabi back to the dining room for lunch? I'll rejoin you both there in a few minutes."

The woman smiled and nodded. "Of course, Lady Hinata! Come along, Lady Hanabi." Lady Hotaru then grabbed the young girls hand to pull her in the direction they just came from.

"Hey! Big Sister! You didn't answer my question!" Hanabi protested as she was led away.

When they were out of sight, Hinata turned her attention back towards Naruto and stepped forward towards him.

"Hello, Naruto," she bowed slightly, "what brings you to our home today?"

Naruto stood up and smiled towards her as he held up the scroll. "I'm here to deliver a message to your father from the Hokage's Office. The thing is, I have to give it to him personally so I'm waiting for him to get out of his meeting."

"Oh I see, I hope you haven't been waiting too long?"

Naruto grinned and waved his hand dismissively. "Nah it hasn't been too bad, just a few minutes!"

An awkward silence then fell between them as Hinata lowered her gaze to the floor and Naruto was at a loss as to what to say next. A thought then occurred to him.

"Um… Hinata?"

She looked up towards him.

"…Would you mind waiting here with me? I mean, until your father gets here." He anxiously rubbed the back of his neck, averting his gaze. "Only if you want to though or if you have nothing else to do right now!"

Hinata was taken back once again by the Konoha jonin's shyness and felt her own blush creeping onto her cheeks.

"S-sure, I don't mind," she answered meekly.

"Okay, great!"

The two then sat down next to each other on the ledge looking over the courtyard with the lingering awkwardness between them. Naruto's nerves made him clam up again as he searched his brain for something to talk about.

"So that was your little sister earlier, huh?" he asked.

Hinata nodded. "Yes, that was Hanabi, she's five years younger than me." She didn't know what else to add and the uncomfortable silence found its way back. "Do you have any siblings, Naruto?" She already knew the answer, but she was desperate to keep their conversation going.

Naruto shook his head. "No, it's just me and my dad. Though there is a chunin that lives in my barracks that has always been like a little brother to me, but I guess that's not the same…" he trailed off.

Hinata stared at the grass just beneath her feet, embarrassed at not knowing what else to say to the young man sitting next to her. Naruto glanced at her and saw her discomfort. Maybe asking her to wait with him wasn't as good of an idea as he thought, but she was here so he had to keep trying.

"I guess my village and your clan aren't exactly excited about coming together just yet, huh?" he said, changing the topic.

Hinata lifted her head back towards him and nodded. "Yes, there are some concerns within our clan. I know there's unease over being sent off to aid in another war."

"I can't say I blame them," Naruto answered, "but at least there's not much fighting now. Our enemies retreated a few months ago and we're still trying to figure out where they're hiding."

A curious expression came over Hinata's face as she looked back over the courtyard. "Something I find interesting is that around the time that the Akatsuki and the Uchiha clan retreated from the battlefields, Hanzo of the Salamander also disappeared from Amegakure. None of the Kage or any of the other village leaders have seen or heard from him for several months now. It makes you wonder if there's a connection between the two events, doesn't it?" She looked over back at Naruto with the same serious expression.

Naruto sat there dumbstruck by the girl's clever observation. Not only did she seem to actually know about what was going on in the current war, but she also knew about the other villages as well and their inner-workings. She was clearly not the sheltered, pampered princess that Naruto had initially assumed her to be.

A look of embarrassment came over Hinata as she noticed the way Naruto was looking at her. "I-Im sorry! That was out of line for me to say!" she exclaimed as she turned her blushing face away in shame.

To her horror, Naruto started laughing.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable just now!" he said between chuckles, "It's just, you keep surprising me, Hinata!"

She looked back over at him, "Huh?"

He looked towards her and grinned. "When I first heard about you, I assumed that you would just be some spoiled, rich girl who knew nothing about the outside world. But, you take care of your own garden, you don't dress up all the time, and you're smarter than most of the jonin in my class! You're a pretty cool person, Hinata, ya know?"

Hinata's blush deepened as she looked away, not expecting Naruto to compliment her so directly. "T-thank you."

"And you're right about Hanzo," Naruto continued, "my dad - I mean the Hokage had the same suspicions as you and is investigating it as we speak. You've got the same line of thinking as the most powerful man in the Land of Fire! How do you know about all this kind of stuff anyway?"

"W-well, the Hyuga have always survived by being keenly aware of what's going on in the world around us, and as the Heiress to the clan, it's my duty to understand important events such as the present war as well as who all of the world leaders are. My father has always had me study all of his intelligence briefings with him and has taught me most of what I know about world politics." What she didn't reveal to Naruto was that, her father had stopped allowing her to read his intelligence briefings and had started educating her younger sister in her place. Instead she added, "Besides, I find it all to be very interesting. I've never left the Hyuga compound so reading up on the world is the closest I'll ever get to see any of it."

"Wow, you're a lot more studious than me!" Naruto observed, "I was a lousy student at the Ninja Academy. I also want to be Hokage someday but I've never been disciplined enough to actually sit down with my dad and have him teach me some stuff that I should be learning about now," the jonin admitted.

Hinata looked over at him sympathetically. "You shouldn't be too hard on yourself, Naruto."

"Hm?"

"Becoming a jonin and having to fight in a war is very difficult. No one should blame you for not wanting to burden yourself any further."

Naruto chuckled at her sincerity. "I guess you're right!"

Things became quiet once again, but Naruto was feeling much more comfortable around the Hyuga princess now. He then decided to address the subject that had been silently burdening both of them for the past week.

"Hinata…what do you think about this whole arranged marriage thing?"

Hinata was startled out of her thoughts by Naruto's unexpected question. She looked over at him and noticed the sincere expression on his face.

"Well, as the clan's Heiress I've always known that my marriage would be arranged so it's nothing that I haven't expected."

"Yeah, but is this what you want?" Hinata's eyes widened in surprise at his response before he continued. "I mean, you've never even met me before last week and…", he turned away in shame, "I know that I have a certain reputation…Hell, people in my own village won't even look me in the eye most of the time. If I were you, I'd want nothing to do with me."

Hinata observed Naruto as he gazed sadly towards the ground. She found herself feeling pity for the young man who clearly understood the fear and disdain many people had towards him.

Feeling a moment of bravery, she asked, "…Is it true, what they say?"

Naruto reacted by quietly lifting his head up but didn't look at her. He hesitated for a moment and then spoke.

"For as long as I can remember, people have always feared and hated me for containing something that brought so much death and destruction to our village. I fought my whole life to prove my worth to those around me and to earn their acceptance. That's actually why I want to be Hokage someday…because it would mean that everyone in the village would trust and respect me enough to be their leader and protector. So I trained hard to learn how to contain the demon's chakra inside of me and not let it control my actions. For a while, I succeeded."

He turned towards her. "But then, a year ago, I learned that my best friend was a traitor to the village that I had dedicated my life to protecting. I didn't want to believe it at first, and I actually thought that if I were strong enough, I could make him change his ways and stay in the village."

He clenched the scroll in his hand. "I was wrong though…my own strength wasn't enough. So in an act of desperation, I made a deal with the devil living inside me. I told him that he could use me to kill as many shinobi as he wanted, as long as he lent me his strength long enough to bring my best friend back to his senses…and I failed. My friend still ended up defecting from the village along with the rest of his clan, and now he's been branded as an enemy to Konoha. If I ever encounter him, it's my duty to kill him. And now, I'm stuck with a powerful demon living inside of me that I can no longer control in battle. It's gotten to the point where my own friends are afraid of me and my dad has put me onto a suspension where I'm restricted to missions that don't take me outside the village…I don't know exactly what you've heard, Hinata, but that's the truth of what I've become."

He then looked away again, leaving the girl beside him to ponder the heavy burden he had just shared with her.

After a few quiet moments, Hinata spoke up. "You keep surprising me too, Naruto."

"Huh?" Naruto looked up, taken aback by Hinata's small confession.

Hinata continued, "When my father first told me about the arrangement…I was scared. I didn't know anything about you other than the stories I was told about the Kyuubi inside of you. Last week when we first met, I didn't know what to expect." She then smiled warmly towards him. "But so far…I don't think you're anything like those stories I've heard…I think you're actually an incredibly kind person, Naruto!"

Naruto stared incredulously at her. He had been called many things in life, but "kind" was not one of them. The hard gaze caused Hinata to blush and avert her eyes, a cute habit of hers that Naruto was quickly picking up on.

"I-I'm sorry Naruto! I shouldn't have spoken to you so informally-"

She was cut off by Naruto's chuckling and the young Hyuga princess turned back with a confused gaze towards her blonde companion.

"Hinata, you should _only_ speak to me informally!" he told her amusingly, "I only know how to be candid with others; I'm not about hiding my true feelings behind stupid formalities and all this bureaucratic nonsense, and neither should you!"

Hinata let out a soft giggle. "O-Ok, I'll try to remember that."

Naruto smiled towards her and genuinely found himself enjoying her company. "How about this? Hinata, let's be friends! No matter what ends up happening between your clan and my village, I'd like to know that at least I gained a good friend out of all this."

Hinata smiled back, feeling much less tense than she had earlier. "I would like that very much, Naruto."

* * *

"Oh, Lady Hinata! We were starting to wonder if you had forgotten about us!" the woman who was accompanying Hinata earlier joked.

Hinata smiled towards her as she knelt down at the dining table next to Hanabi. The woman sitting on the other side was Lady Hotaru; Hinata and Hanabi's lady-in-waiting. She had become their guardian when the girls' mother had died from a sudden illness. Hinata and Hanabi were only seven and two years old respectively. Hotaru herself had been through a recent loss at the time; her husband died in the war while aiding Konoha's forces. Hinata and Hotaru found comfort in each other during those early days and had formed a quick bond. Hotaru was old enough to provide a motherly presence for Hinata but young enough to give her the type of confidante that only an older sister could have. She was Hinata's closet female companion.

"I'm sorry for keeping you both," Hinata said, "Father's meeting ran long so I didn't want to leave Naruto by himself."

Hotaru smiled knowingly towards the Hyuga princess. She knew all the details of the proposed arranged marriage between her ward and the blonde jinchuriki, including Hinata's disdain for the idea in the beginning and her current uncertainty about the young man after finally meeting him last week. It gave Hotaru hope that maybe Hinata would find happiness after all from this arrangement.

"Just who was that guy anyways, Big Sister?" Hanabi demanded.

Hanabi had a very different personality from her elder sister. She was confident, outspoken, and was prone to an explosive temper that often got her into trouble with her father and the clan's elders. Yet, she loved her elder sister deeply and would risk anything to protect her feelings. Which is why Hinata had chosen to not confide anything to Hanabi just yet about the proposed arrangement between herself and Naruto.

Hinata smiled affectionately towards her little sister. "He's a shinobi from the Leaf that was here to deliver a message from the Hokage's Office to Father. I met him last week when he was here with the Hokage so I decided to keep him company while he waited."

Satisfied with her sister's answer, Hanabi shrugged and went back to eating her lunch while gabbing with Hotaru. It gave Hinata a moment to herself to take in what had just transpired between her and Naruto.

After last week's dinner, Hinata barely slept that night because of her racing thoughts. Her first impression of Naruto was that he was nothing like the monster that stories had described him as. Instead, he was just a young man who was as uncomfortable and nervous as she was to be there that night. When they talked in the garden, Hinata found herself enjoying Naruto's lack of formalities and his open way of speaking to her. It was refreshing actually. It also made her situation more confusing as now she didn't know how she felt about potentially marrying Naruto in the near future. At least before their initial meeting, she knew how she felt and had a plan in place.

She was taken aback when she saw him earlier today and was even more surprised by how eager he seemed to be for her to sit with him while he waited for Hiashi. However, she was glad everything happened the way it did. They finally had a chance to talk about their proposed marriage to each other, as uncomfortable as it was, and were at least able to get on the same page about being friends for now.

Perhaps she was naive for being able to change her view of Naruto from being a dangerous beast to a good-natured young man after just two meetings with him, but she couldn't help but feel a compelling sense of peace whenever she thought of the blonde shinobi. Hinata smiled as she watched her little sister beside her animately telling a story to Hotaru. The Hyuga princess didn't know what the future held but she did know that she was content with having made a new friend.

* * *

"Ah, well if it isn't my favorite pupil!"

The tired Yondaime looked up from his mountain of paperwork and grinned when he realized who his visitor was.

"Master Jiraiya! It's been too long."

"Well, if my Hokage hadn't sent me on a dangerous spy mission all the way out in Amegakure, I would have been back in Konoha much sooner!" the older man jested.

Minato sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "You make a fair point, Sensei."

Jiraiya chuckled and plopped down on a chair just in front of the Hokage's desk. "It was worth it to send me out there though, I didn't find out everything but I've come across some interesting intelligence."

"What is it?" Minato asked more seriously.

"I wasn't able to gain access into Amegakure, but from what I was able to observe, I'm certain that Hanzo is dead."

The news troubled the Yondaime. "I know that there's been growing civil unrest between Hanzo's faction and those who want him overthrown, but nothing in our intelligence has indicated that warfare has broken out in Amegakure."

"You're right Minato, but my intelligence suggests that Hanzo is no longer in power. There must have been a silent coup that occurred recently that eradicated Hanzo and all his supporters. The citizens seem to be happier with the new leader, whoever he is."

"Are there any details on this new leader?"

"No, he's just as secluded and secretive as Hanzo was. I couldn't even get a name. I'll need to return there soon to find out more information. I'm certain that this is somehow linked to the Akatsuki."

Minato nodded in agreement. "Before you return, I'll need you here in the village for a bit. We have the Chunin Exams coming up with Sunagakure and I can use your aid with the heightened security measures we'll have in place. And there's also Naruto…"

The Toad Sage perked up at hearing his godson's name. "Naruto? Didn't you send him to the Takigakure border for six months?"

Minato sighed. "I did, but I had to cut his assignment short…"

"It happened again, didn't it?" Jiraiya asked gravely.

"Several times."

"Sheesh," Jiraiya leaned back in his chair, "this whole Uchiha debacle really messed the kid up…So you have him back here in the village I take it?"

Minato nodded. "I've prohibited him from leaving the village until we're able to get his control of the Kyuubi back to where it used to be. He's been under heavy observation and our Analysis Team has made multiple attempts to examine his mind but it's been fruitless so far."

"I see…"

"I'm concerned that Naruto's body won't last much longer at this rate," the Yondaime continued.

"What do you mean?"

"Every time the Kyuubi takes over, it uses Naruto's body as a medium. By appearance, it looks as if Naruto's body is being protected by the Kyuubi's chakra, but in reality quite the opposite is happening."

"You mean his body takes damage every time the Kyuubi takes over?"

Minato nodded. "Whenever Naruto comes out of the Kyuubi-state, his body is covered in his own blood. He still heals and regenerates thanks to the Kyuubi's chakra but…" the Hokage gazed regretfully down at his desk, "the human body isn't meant to take on so much strain. If this keeps happening, Naruto will die…"

Jiraiya was chilled by Minato's blunt deduction. Unfortunately, the Toad Sage had no words of comfort to offer his former student. At this point, Naruto was the only one who could change the outcome.

"Not to mention he might be engaged soon," Minato added calmly.

Jiraiya flew out of his chair. "ENGAGED?! To a woman?!"

"Well, yes."

"Explain."

Minato then shared of his recent success in finally obtaining a long-awaited alliance with the Hyuga clan to bring them into Konoha, as well as his plans for Naruto's role in making the alliance a success. When he was done explaining, the Toad Sage seemed apprehensive.

"This would be a significant benefit for the village, especially since we lost the Sharingan with the Uchiha defection, but are you sure Naruto can handle such a big decision right now? I get that he's your son, but don't forget that I also trained him for three years straight and essentially raised him during the time he changed from a boy to a man. Even without the burdens he's facing right now, the kid still has an immaturity when it comes to marriage and relationships."

Minato chuckled nervously. "Perhaps you're right, I know I'm taking a big risk in having Naruto potentially marry the princess of one of the most prestigious clans in the Land of Fire but…I really do believe it's his best chance for happiness and I think Hinata's love could be enough to help him retake his control over the Kyuubi."

The Toad Sage crossed his arms and sighed, "You've always been an idealist, Minato. Especially when it comes to your own son. Time will only tell if you're right or if you've doomed us all."


	5. The Shame of the Hyuga Clan

_"Naruto! Stop!"_

 _He turned to see a whole squadron of Konoha jonin running towards him. The sight infuriated him. He let out a low growl and charged towards them. He attacked the first shinobi within reach and could vividly see the whites of the shocked shinobi's eyes as he clawed into the man's chest and snapped the bones in his ribcage into two. An agonizing wail emitted from the jonin's mouth along with a spattering of blood. The jinchuriki immediately rounded on another pair of jonin just behind him, raking his sharp, chakra-laced claws across their chests and necks, causing more blood to rain down._

 _Before he could launch another attack, Naruto suddenly found himself drifting down beneath a body of water. His vision was obscured as he tried to make sense of where he was and how he got there. In his left hand was Sasuke's hitai-ate, which had the Konoha symbol messily scratched out._

 _Then Sasuke was over him; no emotion in his eyes as he stared down. Naruto opened his mouth to call out to his friend, forgetting that he was several feet underwater. Salty water flooded his throat and into his lungs, his chest burned as his body struggled for oxygen. His vision started to fade, with Sasuke's cold stare being the last image he would ever see._

Naruto jolted awake in his bed, a film of warm sweat coated his bare chest. He sat up slowly, taking note of his damp sheets and pillowcase. The night terrors weren't stopping and they seemed to reveal a glimpse of actual events that Naruto could not remember. Tonight's nightmare especially troubled him because he recognized the jonin whose ribs he snapped. It was Genma Shiranui.

When he had used the Kyuubi's chakra in an attempt to stop Sasuke from leaving the village, Naruto lost control and became a colossal threat to the village. His father had no choice but to deploy a squad of jonin to stop him. Naruto had no memory of the assault, but he knew that he had gravely injured several shinobi from that squad. Genma's injuries were so severe that he had to retire early from his career as a shinobi. Naruto was thankful he hadn't killed anyone that day, but he felt horrible about forcing a good ninja to cut his career short. Even to this day, Genma avoids Naruto and the two have never spoken. Naruto didn't blame him; a cold-shoulder was a light punishment for what he had done.

The early morning winter air started to creep into Naruto's room and onto his skin, awakening his groggy body. He shook his head to clear away his worried thoughts and stood up to change into his shinobi uniform.

The nightmares would eventually stop, he was sure of it. He would also gain control once again over this monster inside of him, but in his own way. He would go along with his father's methods for as long as needed until Minato finally saw that his methods were fruitless.

Everything would work out. At least, that's what Naruto told himself every morning to will himself out of bed.

His mind turned to more pressing matters; the alliance between Konoha and the Hyuga Clan. More negotiations and terms had been set over the past several weeks between both parties and now things were progressing quickly. It was only a matter of time before the alliance was official.

It also meant that his time to make a decision about marrying Hinata was running out.

Naruto traveled to the Hyuga Compound several times a week now to see her. He would be lying if he said that he didn't look forward to the visits. They had become more comfortable in each other's presence so the long, awkward silences had disappeared. Aside from just talking, Hinata would show him how her garden was doing or would give him a tour of a different part of the mansion he hadn't seen yet. He had met her lady-in-waiting, Hotaru, and had a chance to talk with Lord Hiashi a couple of times as well. Things were pleasant overall during his visits.

But did he want to marry her?

He didn't have an answer. There was no question that Hinata would be good wife material; she was polite and gentle, knew how to effectively run a home, and was familiar enough with the shinobi culture and lifestyle to deal with the challenges that would come with being married to one. Not to mention she was beautiful and lovely as well.

Yet, it was too big of a decision to determine if he wanted to spend the rest of his life with a woman he had known for barely a month. In a way, it would have been easier if his father had given him no choice in the matter. Regardless, he didn't have to make a decision today. In fact, he was visiting Hinata later that afternoon and was looking forward to it.

He turned his attention to the potted plant sitting on his windowsill. He normally gave up on trying to grow anything during the winter, but Hinata had made the suggestion to him to grow an arrowhead vine, which typically had a better chance of growing in lower temperatures and less light.

Not many people knew that the blonde jinchuruki had a small passion for growing plants. It was a hobby he picked up when he trained at Mount Myoboku with the Pervy Sage. Shima, one of the toad elders at Mount Myoboku, had her own elaborate gardens that she cared for. When he was taking his breaks from training, the young Naruto had become curious about the strange, colorful plants in Shima's gardens so the elderly toad took it upon herself to teach the ninja a few gardening basics. Ever since then, Naruto typically had one or two plants he kept in his room to take care of.

For someone who was trained to kill, it was a comfort to have something to care for and keep alive. He didn't talk much about his secret hobby mainly because of his tough-guy exterior. Hinata was probably the first person to know more extensively about his interest in plants.

He poured a small cup of water into the soil surrounding the plant and moved the pot to a different spot on the windowsill where it could get more light.

Satisfied with his handiwork, Naruto went back to dressing himself and starting his day. His father had asked to meet with him at the Hokage's office that morning.

As Naruto turned the handle to open his door to leave, a loud growl protested in his belly.

Well…first he would have breakfast at Ichiraku _then_ meet with his father.

* * *

"You're late, Naruto," Minato stated plainly.

"Sorry…" Naruto apologized then grinned sheepishly, "I kinda lost track of time when I was chatting with Old Man Teuchi and Ayame, ya know?"

Minato sighed as Naruto sat down. "Well, you're here now at least, so I'll just get to it. I wanted to update you on the alliance."

This peeked the blonde jinchuriki's interest.

Minato continued. "Both sides have come to an agreement to have the Hyuga Clan become part of Konahagakure; the official announcement will be made two weeks from today."

Naruto felt his heart banging in his chest. "So that means…"

"That means, we would also announce your engagement to Hinata Hyuga then. If that's what you decide that is." Minato finished.

Naruto lowered his gaze. "I don't-"

"You still have up until then to make your final decision," Minato cut in, "but I did want you to know this so that you can take these next two weeks to think through what you want to do."

"Ok…"

Minato's spirits were dampened at the sight of his dejected son sitting in front of him. It was obvious that Naruto still had no idea what he was going to decide. Even considering that the blonde shinobi had been visiting Hinata quite regularly lately of his own accord. There was something else though that Minato needed to ensure Naruto was aware of.

"Naruto, if I may ask, has Lady Hinata shared with you what transpired within her clan six months ago?"

Naruto looked up with a baffled expression. "No, why?"

Minato sighed. He wanted Hinata to have the opportunity to tell Naruto what had happened to her then, but time was running out and he needed to make certain that Naruto had all the facts before making a final decision.

"Hinata was previously engaged to another man."

The revelation stunned Naruto into silence.

Minato continued, "She was supposed to be married to another Hyuga; a noble within her clan. It was a well-suited match that would have ensured Hinata's position as Heiress. However, the man she was betrothed to suddenly broke the engagement off. Hiashi didn't tell me the reasons why the young man ended the relationship, but the event caused a lot of embarrassment for Hinata and damaged her prospects for other suitors."

A growing indignation formed in Naruto's chest. How could someone treat someone as sweet and caring as Hinata that way?

"I don't get it though, why would that ruin her other prospects?" Naruto questioned.

Minato shook his head. "I don't quite get it myself either, but the Hyuga are very traditional especially when it comes to marriage. From what I could ascertain, by that young man rejecting Hinata, it implied that she was… defective in some ways to the other members of the nobility."

Without thinking, Naruto slammed his fists onto the Hokage's desk. "Defective?! What kind of bullshit is that?!"

Minato held his hands up nervously. "Easy there Naruto, I agree with you! I'm not saying it's right, I'm just explaining how the Hyuga think."

Naruto calmed down a bit and unclenched his fists.

"Hinata has a younger sister that will be of marriageable age in just a few years," Minato continued, "so the attention has shifted to her to become the next Hyuga Heiress. My guess is that the noble families will want their sons to vie for Hanabi's hand instead."

"But why would some jerk rejecting Hinata be the reason why she's no longer the Heiress?"

"He's not the reason. The reason would be you, Naruto."

"What?"

"If Hinata marries someone outside the clan, she will be stripped of her Heiress title. Don't get me wrong, she would still be held in the highest honors of the clan, especially if you attain your dream of becoming Hokage someday, but she can never lead the clan if her husband is not a Hyuga."

Naruto felt his indignation grow inside as he started putting things together. He thought it was odd that Hiashi was so willing to have his eldest daughter and heir marry an outsider like Naruto, even if he was the Hokage's son. But now it made more sense. Hinata became an embarrassment to the clan and Hiashi no longer had plans to pass the task of leading the clan onto her. So to ensure her disinheriting, he proposed an arranged marriage to someone outside the clan. It was all just a cruel game with Naruto and Hinata being merely pawns. The thought made him want to decide right then and there to not go through with the marriage, just to prove a point. Yet, at the same time, the thought of potentially causing Hinata any more hurt or embarrassment paralyzed him.

His decision just became a lot more complicated.

"Why tell me all this now?" Naruto asked begrudgingly.

"Because I think you need to know the full context of the situation you and Hinata are in and what the potential consequences will be of your decision each way… I don't want you to feel obligated or pressured by this new information, but you need to be mindful of it."

"Yeah, I get it…"

"And I know what you're thinking, but I want to ensure you of one thing: Hiashi is a good man."

Naruto threw a questioning look to his father.

"I know on the surface, Hiashi's actions seem cruel," Minato explained, "but he only has his daughter's happiness in mind. He was devastated by the hurt Hinata suffered when her earlier engagement was broken off. And believe it or not…he was opposed to the idea of her becoming engaged to you at first."

Naruto's jaw dropped open. "You're saying…"

"That this was all my idea? Yes, it was!" Minato added sheepishly.

The blonde jinchuruki was once again dumbfounded into silence. All this time, he had assumed Hiashi was the ringleader behind the arranged marriage idea and his dad just went along with it. Never would he had guessed that Minato Namikaze - the man who rebelled many years ago against his own clan's plans for him by marrying an Uzumaki girl he had fallen in love with - would be the one to suggest an arranged marriage for his own son.

Naruto sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he took in yet another bombshell from his dad. "Please tell me that's your last bit of news you wanted to share with me today Dad…"

"It is," Minato laughed nervously, "you can go now if you'd like!"

The emotionally drained jinchuruki stood up and headed for the door. "You have such weird timing sometimes, Dad. I don't know how Mom put up with you for so long, ya know?" he jested.

Minato remained unfazed by his son's quip as he waved goodbye. "Give Lady Hinata my regards!"

* * *

Hinata flitted around like a butterfly as she moved through the Hyuga mansion's expansive halls. She was usually like this on days that Naruto visited. The young man's presence always brought a sense of spontaneity to her otherwise mundane routine. Though she always had something planned for his visits, she never knew what her and Naruto were going to talk about or what unexpected things she would learn about him during their encounters. The topics of prior conversations had already ranged from speculations about the war, Konoha's best ramen spot (Ichiraku's of course), tales of Hanabi's antics, and the best time of year to plant camellias. She even dressed up today with a flowery light blue kimono and by wearing her hair down and loose over her shoulders.

Her joyful thoughts were disrupted by a woman's laughter coming from down the hall. As soon as she recognized the voice, Hinata's spirits immediately fell. Coming her way was Miaka Hyuga, a noblewoman whom Hinata grew up with. Miaka's presence always brought a source of anxiety for Hinata because Miaka was everything Hinata was not: Confident, vivacious, and naturally feminine. Miaka always donned the most beautiful, intricate kimonos which flattered her slim figure. She knew exactly how to wear her long, chocolatey hair so that it flowed flawlessly in waves down her back and around her shoulders. She had the charismatic personality that could charm even the most hardened clan elder, while carrying the grace and tact that a submissive woman who knew her station should. Ever since they were children, Miaka had despised Hinata and took every opportunity she had to remind Hinata that she was the better woman.

Hinata knew it was silly to allow another woman to bring out her deepest insecurities, but after what occurred earlier that year, how could she help it? Before Hinata could figure out an escape route from Miaka's path, the two young women already made eye contact. It would be too late now for Hinata to divert her path without being obvious, but Hinata was considering it when she realized that Miaka was walking on the arm of her new husband, Hiroto Hyuga.

Hiroto was a nobleman that had also grown up with Hinata, but unlike Miaka, Hiroto was one of her closest friends during childhood. They had similar personalities and interests and both carried a desire to lead the clan to a brighter future in the coming decades. The happiest moment in her life was when she and Hiroto became engaged to one another. Then it was quickly followed by her worst moment; him breaking it off and announcing his engagement to Miaka instead just days later.

The event humiliated Hinata personally and damaged her standing as Clan Heiress. It was still a source of raw pain for her and she struggled to believe that she would ever overcome it. In the months since Miaka and Hiroto married, Hinata had been able to avoid them for the most part (her father also did everything in his power to ensure she would not need to interact with the couple that much), but chance meetings in the hallways like this were bound to happen.

Hinata could see Miaka's proud smile already forming across her perfectly sculpted face. The Hyuga princess turned her gaze down as she prepared to pass the couple. When the dreaded moment finally came, she heard the obligatory "Lady Hinata" that every clan member was required to say when in the presence of the Heiress, but Hinata was not obligated to return the greeting. She instead carried on to her destination, not even making eye contact with the couple. When they were several feet behind her, she could hear Miaka's bright laughter suddenly pierce the air, as if someone had just told her a joke.

The Hyuga princess couldn't take it anymore, so she turned her gait into a run.

* * *

Hinata had originally intended to wait by the main gate for Naruto to arrive, but the encounter with Miaka and Hiroto left her in poor spirits, so she instead made her way to one of the private gardens to sit and have time to herself.

The chance encounter had reminded Hinata of her weaknesses and flaws. It was futile of her to get her hopes up about Naruto and where things could go with him. She even felt foolish for dressing up in an effort to impress the boisterous, blond shinobi. The alliance was going to be formally announced in two weeks time and she was sure that Naruto was going to turn down the prospect of marrying her. She would probably never see him again and no one else would ever want her. She'd live out the rest of her days in humiliated loneliness on the compound as the disgrace of her clan. As she dwelled on these thoughts, Hinata felt hot tears start to flow down her cheeks.

"Lady Hinata!"

She was startled and quickly wiped the tears away before she turned around to acknowledge her visitor.

"Yes, Kodi?"

"Your guest, Lord Naruto, is here. Where do you wish to meet him?"

"Oh…can you bring him here, please?"

Kodi bowed obediently. "Of course, my Lady! It will be just one moment."

She smiled at him, "Thank you."

She turned back around and took a deep breath, trying to recompose herself. It had been a while since she had a downward spiral like that and she realized it was foolish for her to think so hopelessly.

' _Naruto's not like that…Even if we don't get married, I know that he wouldn't hurt me…but still-'_

"Hey! Hinata!"

She nearly jumped out of her seat and let out a small squeak of surprise, which her blonde-haired companion seemed to not notice.

"Oh! Hi Naruto…" she said meekly as he sat down next to her with a wide grin on his face.

"I brought a surprise for you!" he announced.

"Oh?"

He reached behind him and presented her with a small paper bag. "These are the cinnamon rolls from that bakery I told you about! I remembered from our last visit that you said you had wanted to try them so I figured I would just bring you some today! Go ahead and have one!"

Hinata carefully took the smooth package from Naruto's hands and into her own, noticing the heavy, sugary aroma emitting from the bag. It was then that the tears started again.

Naruto was horrified. "Are you okay Hinata?! I'm so sorry, did I do something wrong?"

Hinata felt her cheeks glow red with embarrassment as she quickly wiped the tears away with her kimono sleeve. She put on her best smile and looked up at Naruto, struggling to hold in her emotions.

"No, of course not Naruto! You're just…always so kind to me." To her embarrassment, the tears came out again despite her best efforts to stop them.

"Hinata…" Naruto was unsure of what to do. He almost reached up to wipe the tears off her cheeks but stopped himself, not knowing if that was something Hinata would be offended by or not. "Did something happen?"

The girl shook her head fiercely. "It's nothing, really!"

"It can't be nothing if it's making you cry…"

"Please, Naruto," she spoke up more firmly, "I'm just… a little emotional today. There's no particular reason, I just get this way sometimes. Please, can we talk about something else?"

Sympathetic to her request, the blond jinchuriki obliged. The two turned their attention back to the freshly baked cinnamon rolls Naruto had brought, one of which Hinata tried and immediately found it delightful. Naruto was happy to see her smiling for real again and he helped her finish the rolls off as they talked about the typical details of how they've been since they last saw each other.

"Lady Hinata, there you are!"

The princess turned and was immediately elated. "Brother Neji!"

' _Brother?'_ Naruto mused in confusion.

He looked over and observed a young man around their age standing just a few feet away. The featureless eyes and long dark hair signaled him as another Hyuga. Naruto noticed that the man also wore the traditional robes the Hyuga typically wore except they were simpler. He also had a white bandage wrapped around his forehead beneath his bangs, another unusual feature for a Hyuga.

Neji gave a short glance towards Naruto before answering Hinata. "I apologize, am I interrupting something?"

Hinata shook her head as she stood up and walked over to him. "No not at all! Actually, I'm glad you're here! I don't think you've met Naruto yet."

The blonde shinobi walked over to them and put his hand out towards the other male. "How's it going?"

Neji looked disdainfully down at Naruto's hand, as if it were covered in excrement, and then promptly turned his attention back to Hinata. "No, I have not."

Naruto felt like his veins were going to pop out of his forehead. ' _That jackass just ignored me!'_

Sensing the growing tension, Hinata nervously looked over to her blond companion. "Um, N-Naruto, this is my cousin Neji! He's one of my closest friends…and Neji, this is Naruto Namikaze! He's a shinobi from Konoha and has been kind enough to keep me company over these past few weeks as Father has been working towards the alliance with Konoha."

Not immune to Hinata's sweet-nature, both men begrudgingly cast aside their annoyances with the other's presence and cordially shook hands.

"It's a please to meet you, Mr. Namikaze."

Naruto cringed at the formality. "Nice to meet you too, but just call me Naruto!"

"Fine. _Naruto_ …"

"What were you looking for me for, Brother Neji?" Hinata cut in before things got tense again.

Neji looked over at her. "Ko and I are getting ready to start our taijutsu practice. You had mentioned before that you wanted to observe us during our next spar so I came looking for you to invite you to watch us."

This had piqued Hinata's interest, but if she left with Neji now, she would have to cut her visit short with Naruto. The Gentle Fist taijutsu style of the Hyuga was a secret forbidden to outsiders to observe. The dark-haired beauty was unsure of how to respond without offending either man.

Observing his cousin's apprehension at leaving her blonde companion behind, Neji continued, "However, I know your time with Naruto is important for the alliance between our clan and Konoha so I'll just bring you along next time."

Hinata's expression brightened with relief as she gave a small polite bow towards her cousin. "Thank you Brother Neji! And please accept my regrets for not being able to join you and Ko today."

"Hey, I don't mind-"

"Very well, Lady Hinata," Neji interrupted before Naruto could finish his sentence, "until next time." The Hyuga male then turned his attention to a confused Naruto. "It was an honor to meet you, Mr. Namikaze," giving the jinchuruki a small bow. Before Naruto could say anything back, Neji turned on his heels and walked back into the direction he came from.

' _…That jackass called me that on purpose!_ '

When the two were left alone once again, Naruto remembered that he needed to address a few things with the Hyuga princess standing beside him.

"Hey Hinata?"

"Hm?"

"There were some things I wanted to talk to you about today…Could we go sit back down?"

Hinata felt herself grow nervous at Naruto's grave tone. "Oh um, s-sure…"

The two sat back down near the gardens as Naruto mused on how he was going reveal certain things to Hinata. After the meeting with his father earlier, Naruto had thought long and hard about what he was going to say to Hinata. Regardless, he needed her to know where he stood on things now as well as learn how she was feeling.

Naruto took a deep breath. "My dad told me something earlier today that I wanted you to know…"

"Oh?"

He turned towards the dark-haired beauty beside him. "I know that you're going to be disinherited as Clan Heiress if you marry me."

Hinata felt the blood drain from her face from Naruto's directness. She averted her gaze as if she had done something wrong.

"Y-yes, that's right…" she stammered.

"Is that really something you would be okay with?"

Hinata turned back in surprise and was met with Naruto's sympathetic gaze. She looked over the gardens they were sitting near as she gathered her thoughts.

"I want to do what's best for my clan…"

"Stop saying that!"

Hinata jumped at Naruto's sudden outburst and looked over with surprise.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to raise my voice at you just now," he continued, "I'm just tired of hearing you talk like you have no choice about any of this! Just tell me how _you_ feel!"

Hinata turned her gaze down, letting her bangs fall over her eyes. She felt her skin grow hot over Naruto's bold appeal to know her true feelings. The truth was that she actually liked Naruto a lot. His unorthodox manners and wild personality were refreshing to be around, and were in contrast to her own quiet and gentle demeanor. He was nothing like the stories she had heard about him which had drastically changed her initial trepidations about marrying him. However, for Hinata, none of this was about love and romance. If those things happened to develop over time between her and Naruto, it would just be an added happiness. Hinata had only one goal in mind.

"There's something I need you to see," Hinata spoke quietly.

Naruto was taken aback by her response. "Okay…What is it?"

Hinata stood up and gave him a polite smile. "Follow me."

* * *

The couple walked in silence down a path that took them away from the Hyuga mansion. Naruto noticed the landscape became more unkempt and rugged as they proceeded deeper on the pathway. He knew that the Hyuga clan owned quite a bit of land, but he didn't realize how expansive their property really was until now.

After ten minutes of walking, Hinata finally stopped, keeping her gaze forward. Naruto stopped beside her and looked over in the same direction the Hyuga princess was facing. He saw what appeared to be a small village. People were milling about in a small marketplace where food and other goods were being sold. Surrounding the marketplace were several plain, wooden shacks, some of them being in decrepit condition. It was then that he noticed the people all shared the same physical features as one another, which included pale, featureless eyes…

"…Are they members of your clan?!"

Hinata nodded sadly. "Yes, these are the branch members of our clan."

"Branch members?"

Hinata turned towards him. "The Hyuga are divided into two classes: The Main House and the Branch House. The Main House members are considered to be the nobility of our clan and have the privilege of living in the Hyuga Mansion, while the Branch House members are considered to be lower-class. A few of them live in the mansion as servants, but the majority of them live on the outskirts of our land here in this tiny village."

She looked mournfully over towards the Branch House Village once again. "The branch members don't have the same resources as those of us belonging to the Main House. Most of them live their daily lives in poverty, struggling to get by."

None of this was making any sense to Naruto. "You guys live so lavishly in that mansion…why can't the Main Household help these people out? You're all part of the same clan after all."

Hinata clutched her kimono and shook her head sadly. "It's not that the Main House can't help them…It's that we won't help them…"

Naruto was shocked about what he was hearing. "What? Why the hell not?"

Hinata continued, "Myself and a few members of my family visit the branch members at least once a week to bring them food and supplies… but it's not enough. The Main House is all about controlling the Branch House in order to protect the Byakugan."

The Byakugan was the Hyuga clan's legendary kekkei genkai. Naruto didn't know much about the Byakugan, but he knew it was a powerful dojutsu that rivaled the Uchiha's Sharingan.

"You see," Hinata continued, "whenever a branch member turns three years of age, a curse mark is placed on them…the Caged Bird Seal. The mark is there for life and can only be removed through death."

Naruto stood there horrified as he listened to Hinata reveal the dark underbelly of the Hyuga clan.

"The purpose of the Caged Bird Seal is to protect the Byakugan. When a branch member dies, the curse mark deactivates the Byakugan, thus preventing any enemies from trying to steal it. But the other purpose…"

Naruto noticed a tear form in the corner of Hinata's eye when she trailed off.

"What's the other purpose?" he probed gently.

The Hyuga princess wiped her eyes and spoke once more. "Every male member of the Main House knows a jutsu that can activate the curse mark at any time…when the curse mark is activated it…destroys the wearers brain cells. If the curse mark is activated for too long…the wearer dies."

The blonde shinobi had a sudden intake of breath. He never would have guessed that the legendary Hyuga clan had such a cruel practice. Did his father know about any of this? He then noticed that several of the villagers had bandages wrapped around their foreheads. Something then clicked in his head.

Naruto turned to Hinata. "Is Neji…?"

"Yes…" Hinata responded, her voice breaking as tears flowed freely down her cheeks, "My father had a twin brother. When they were born, the elders were concerned about a rivalry forming between my father and uncle for the position of clan leader, so they decided to make one of them a branch member. My father was born just a few seconds before his brother, so they chose my uncle to be the bearer of the Caged Bird Seal. As a consequence, all of his descendants became branch members…this includes my cousin Neji."

She stopped and turned towards Naruto, a determined look flashed in her pale eyes as she spoke more firmly. "An alliance with Konoha will bring new opportunities to the Branch House. They'll have the right to work in the village and earn money to take care of their families. No one will have to live in poverty and wonder where their next meal will come from. They would even be allowed to become Konoha shinobi and serve someone other than the Main House. Becoming part of Konoha won't take away all of their sufferings…but it would still bring a brighter future for all of them! I'll sacrifice anything, even my own life, to make that happen."

Hinata had changed from a quiet, soft-spoken girl, into a strong-willed woman right there before Naruto's eyes. The Hyuga princess had yet again surprised him into silence.

"Naruto," she spoke more softly, "I know the alliance between my clan and your village will be announced in two weeks…and I also know that's how much time you have left to make a decision about me…" Hinata's nerves set in again as she spoke her feelings while under Naruto's strong gaze. "I know that for my clan, a marriage between you and I will be expected to ensure the alliance will last…That's why I'm hoping you'll take me as your wife…"

Hinata spoke that last part so softly that Naruto could barely hear it. He felt his heartbeat pounding all the way into his ears as he listened to Hinata's bold confession. The Hyuga leaders had their own selfish reasons for wanting Hinata to marry him, but Hinata was able to turn that around for her own selfless reasons. She clearly loved her clan and wanted to protect them from harm. She was determined to do whatever it took, even if it meant sacrificing her own happiness and freedom. Naruto's admiration and respect for the Hyuga princess suddenly grew exponentially in that moment.

One thing was bothering him though.

"…But do you even like me, hime? Or has this all been just an act to get me to marry you?"

Hinata nearly fainted from embarrassment at both Naruto's sudden, new pet name for her and his brazen accusation.

"N-no! Not a-at all! I mean, I do like being around you, Naruto!" she stammered, "I look forward to the days that you come here…I-I don't want you to think I've been trying to manipulate you…"

Naruto chuckled at Hinata's sudden nervous state. He held his hand up to signal to her that she didn't need to explain any further and gave her his signature Namikaze grin.

"That's good enough for me!"

She visibly relaxed and no longer looked like she was about to collapse.

"You've been really honest with me today, Hinata," Naruto said in a more serious tone, "so I'll be honest with you." The jinchuruki took a deep breath. "I actually really like you…If you were just an ordinary girl in my village, I'd ask you out on a date right here and now!"

Hinata blushed deeply at Naruto's words.

He continued, "…But you're not just an ordinary girl in my village. You and I are in a unique position that most people will never find themselves in. Honestly, I just wish I could have more time to keep getting to know you better. Just before we met…I wasn't going through a great time in my life. In fact, I'm still having struggles, but getting to come here to spend time with you has become a bright spot in my life right now! I just…I don't know if I'm ready to make such a big decision…I want to do what's best for both of us, ya know?"

Hinata felt a little disheartened at her fears of Naruto's uncertainty about her being confirmed, but she was also touched by his sincerity. At the very least, she was glad that he was enjoying their time together as much as she was.

"…And since we're being honest," Naruto started again, "I wanted to let you know that my dad also told me about something else that involves you…"

"W-what is it?" the dark-haired beauty asked.

"…I know that you were engaged before and things didn't work out…"

Hinata wished for the ground to open up beneath her and swallow her body whole just to take her out of that moment. However, she was stuck there, paralyzed by nerves and embarrassment, not knowing what to say.

"I know this isn't exactly the same, but I was rejected by a girl I really cared about not too long ago," Naruto continued, "It was so painful…The last thing I want to do is to cause you that same kind of pain. I can't imagine what you've already gone through, Hinata."

Feeling bold, Naruto stepped closer to the Hyuga princess and placed his finger beneath her chin to get her to look up at him.

He brought his hand down and said, "I promise you, hime, I will not let you go through that same kind of hurt and embarrassment again! We'll figure this out together."

He then flashed her that bright smile of his again, making Hinata feel warm and protected. She smiled back at him, feeling more hopeful for the future than she ever had before.

* * *

 **A/N: Yes, I know Naruto calling Hinata "hime" (aka "princess") is a total Naruhina fanfic cliché (and I typically do not like to mix in Japanese nicknames or honorifics) but it's one that I like and I'm gonna use it in this story! (I promise to keep all other** **clichés to a minimum though ;)**

 **This is one of my favorite chapters so far so I hope you all enjoyed it! Hinata is my FAVORITE character to write, even when she's having an emotional spiral. And Hinata's embarrassing event has finally been revealed. As you can see, the event involves a couple of OCs (sorry FluffAddict001, I really like your Neji idea though! :) The OCs won't be appearing too much in the beginning of this story but they will gradually become more important to the plot. There's also more to be revealed as to what exactly happened with Hinata's prior engagement.**

 **Brace yourselves for the next chapter - some shit is about to go down. In the meantime, thank you all for your support and please leave a review! :)**


	6. Konoha Crush

Naruto was slowly going insane from boredom. He was currently leaning against a stone wall with his arms crossed as he suppressed yet another yawn.

Today was the day of the joint Chunin Exams between Konahagakure and Sunagakure, which was hosted in Naruto's home village this year. He had been assigned to guard duty just outside the arena walls where the final round of battles were to take place. The assignment required Naruto to get up at an unholy hour just to stand at his post with nothing to do and nobody to talk to for several hours.

Despite it being the winter season, the air was uncharacteristically warm and pleasant. The skies were a vivid blue with no clouds to be found. An occasional breeze rustled through the remaining leaves that clung onto their branches, while sweeping away those that had already fallen to their fate.

Now that it was mid-morning, the spectators were starting to gather which prompted Naruto to be more alert. Security measures were extra-tight today due to both the Kazekage and the Hokage being in the same vicinity. Their common enemies would have no hesitation in taking advantage of any break or crack within Konoha's defenses. There wasn't a single shinobi in the village today who was not working.

Naruto's spirits lifted when he saw a familiar red-head approaching.

Gaara had become Suna's Godaime Kazekage not too long ago. He was only a year older than Naruto and was also a jinchuruki himself. Naruto was both proud and a little jealous when he had heard the news of his friend attaining the rank of Kazekage. The two initially met several years ago when they were still genin. It was the first ever joint Chunin Exams between their villages and things went awry when Gaara released his tailed beast, the Ichibi, in the middle of the final round. Naruto himself ended up being the one to stop Gaara and coax him back into withdrawing the Ichibi. Being able to understand Gaara's pain of being a jinchuruki, the two had a close bond ever since.

"Welcome to Konoha, _Lord Kazekage_!" Naruto greeted playfully.

Gaara's attendants (who were also his older siblings), Temari and Kankuro, rolled their eyes at the comment, as the Kazekage eagerly approached his friend.

"Naruto, it's good to see you," he said, "I wasn't sure if you would be in the village today."

"Yeah well…" Naruto grinned sheepishly, not wanting to reveal the fact that he was not allowed to leave the village, "I just happen to be between missions right now so I've been posted out here!"

"I'm afraid I don't have time right now to converse," Gaara said, "but it would be good for us to catch up later."

The blonde ninja smiled. "You bet!"

"Take care, Naruto."

After Gaara and his siblings left, the crowd gradually became bigger. Naruto nodded his head in acknowledgment to those he was acquainted with as he carefully scanned the crowds for anything amiss. He then saw another set of familiar faces approach.

"Did you choose to be a respectable shinobi today or did my dad have to pry you away from peeping at women in the hot springs?" Naruto asked mockingly.

"That's no way to speak to your master, you punk!" Jiraiya huffed back, eliciting a scoff from the young blonde.

The two were actually quite close. Jiraiya had dutifully trained Naruto for three years when the boy turned thirteen, and was almost like a second father for him (despite the Sage's renown pervertedness and tough-love approaches). He understood Naruto and the challenges the boy had always faced when it came to the Kyuubi, and was no stranger to the recent events that had transpired in Naruto's life. Since being back in the village from Amegakure, the Sage joined Naruto's training regiment several evenings a week, which had lifted the jinchuruki's spirits a little.

"Please you two, let's not get into an argument right here. We don't want to give the Daimyo the wrong impression!" Minato said light-heartedly as he approached the master and student.

"Hey Dad…"

Though the initial stung of his suspension had passed, the young jonin still struggled with feelings of resentment towards his father at times. He felt that his dad no longer trusted him and was punishing him too severely. It was hard to pretend that things just fine between them all of the time.

"Jiraiya, would you mind if I have a word alone with Naruto?" The Yondaime suddenly asked.

"Sure, just don't be too long. The matches will be starting in a few minutes."

"Of course."

Minato turned back towards his son as Jiraiya proceeded into the stadium. No matter how frustrated Naruto got his with father at times, the boy couldn't withstand the patient love Minato always showed towards him. Even now on the day of an important event, and with the tension over his suspension looming between both of them, his father was standing there before him with that calm smile of his. It was as if Minato was perpetually proud of his son, even when Naruto royally screwed up.

"I know you hate this, Naruto," Minato spoke, "heck, you might even hate me right now, and I can't say that I blame you."

Naruto looked up in surprise at his father's candid words.

"However, everything I've done has been for your best interest, my son," Minato continued, "I can't say for certain that I've always made the right choices…Even now I question if I'm making the right decision. But I wanted to say that I'm proud of you for handling all of this so well."

Naruto felt a twinge of guilt. If only his dad knew of the venting sessions he had over the past several weeks with Iruka and Jiraiya about how frustrated he was with being suspended.

"Which is why I want to give you this," Minato said as he reached behind him and placed a kunai into Naruto's palm.

Naruto looked down and saw that it was one of his father's customized, three-pronged kunai.

"This is…"

"Starting tomorrow," Minato cut in, "I'm going to teach you the Hiraishin!"

Naruto instantly looked up in shock. "Really?"

Minato nodded happily. "I promised you all those years ago that I would teach it to you someday and I wouldn't be a very good father if I broke such an important commitment to my only son!"

Naruto stood there dumbfounded at his father's words and gripped the kunai tighter in his hand.

"Lord Hokage!"

The two blondes turned to see a Konoha chunin approaching hurriedly.

"The matches are about to start, sir! They're looking for you inside," the chunin explained.

Minato nodded, "Right, I'll be there shortly." He then turned back towards his son one more time and smiled. "See you later, Naruto!"

Before Naruto could respond, his father had disappeared into the stadium where the final rounds of the Chunin Exams were about to begin.

* * *

A group of shinobi, clad in dark-gray shozoku uniforms, stood in a circular formation several kilometers outside of Konoha's perimeter. On the ground before them was a carefully placed summoning seal, ready to activate. A dark-hooded figure approached them.

"Is everything ready?" the figure asked.

One of the gray-attired shinobi turned and answered, "Yes, sir! The seal is in place and we have the scrolls ready."

The hooded figure chuckled darkly as he pushed the rim of his glasses up his nose. "Perfect. Now we just wait for the signal." He turned in the direction of Konahagakure.

"The Kyuubi will be all ours soon…"

* * *

It was the third match of the Chunin Exam final rounds and the audience in the stadium watched with rapt attention. The two contenders were both Konoha genin. One was from the famed Aburame clan and had been at the top of his class at the Academy. He was favored to do well today and many of the nobles watching from the audience had placed their bets on him advancing. The other genin was a boy with no ninja lineage whatsoever. He had come from a family of merchants in the village and decided to form his own path by becoming a ninja. The boy struggled in the Academy and had to train twice as much as his peers just to keep up, but eventually attained genin rank through willpower and perseverance. Which is why it was quite the upset that he was winning in his match against the Aburame.

Minato knew he shouldn't play favorites, but he couldn't help but swell with admiration as he watched the boy chip away at the Aburame's stamina until the bug-user had no more chakra left. The Aburame finally dropped the kunai he was holding and stepped back with his hands up, signaling that he was forfeiting the match.

An obvious outcry could be heard amongst the audience at witnessing their favored player concede defeat as the jonin proctor, Hayate Gekko, approached the genin to officially call the match.

"It seems that our guests are not very happy with the outcome of this match," Minato commented to Jiraiya who was sitting next to him.

The Toad Sage scoffed. "This is why I don't bother with placing bets during these matches. Some of these kids are full of surprises. You never know who's actually going to come out on top."

The Yondaime agreed with his former sensei as he watched what was happening below on the floor of the arena. Hayate stepped between the contenders and raised his arm up.

It was then, to Minato's horror, that the jonin suddenly shot both arms out and skewered the genin with blades that flew out from both of his hands, killing the two young shinobi instantly.

Chaos then erupted around the arena.

"What the hell is Hayate doing?!" Jiraiya shouted over the swarm of screams and yells.

Minato stood up and bent over the railing to observe the jonin who had just shocked them all with his abrupt actions. Minato focused his attention on the blades sticking out of Hayate's hands. It was then that he noticed the snake heads coming out of the jonin's palms near the base of the blades. There was only one shinobi he could think of that was capable of such a bizarre move…

The Hokage then whipped around as he alarmingly realized who had invaded his village. "Sensei, it's Orochimaru!"

"What?!" Jiraiya ran over and witnessed "Hayate" stick out an abnormally long tongue to lick his lips as he drew in the bloodied blades back into his body.

"He's here for Naruto!" the Yondaime declared, prompting Jiraiya to turn back around to his former student. "Master, I need you to-"

"Say no more," the Toad Sage interrupted, "I'll take care of it."

"Thank you…"

"I'll be right back. I'm going to help you take down this snake once and for all!" Jiraiya stated resolutely.

"Right!"

The white-haired Sannin then took off towards one of the stadium's exits, leaving Minato behind to deal with Orochimaru by himself for the moment.

* * *

Naruto watched in confusion as streams of people sprinted out of the stadium. He had heard screaming from inside just minutes before. He held one of his kunai as he observed his surroundings, trying to locate any source of threat. As much as he wanted to run inside of the arena, he knew better to stay at his post. Every single shinobi in the village was placed with careful thought and consideration at their individual posts today. Their protocol dictated for each shinobi to stay at their assigned post until receiving further orders, no matter how much chaos was happening.

It was then that Jiraiya suddenly appeared just next to the blonde jinchuruki.

"Pervy Sage! What's going on?"

"We're being invaded, kid."

"What?! By who?"

"I'll explain later. I have specific orders from your father."

"What does he want me to do?"

Jiraiya responded by pointing in the opposite direction of where they were standing. "Just look over there."

Naruto complied and in one swift motion, Jiraiya chopped his hand into the back of the eighteen-year old's neck, knocking him unconscious.

* * *

Orochimaru chuckled manically to himself as he watched the Yondaime's ANBU fight off several Oto henchmen, who were previously hidden amongst the arena audience. The sounds of panicked screams saturated the air as people ran for their lives.

How he loved to set things into motion.

It was then that the snake master saw a flash of white and yellow move from the corner of his eye. He turned and noticed that the bodies of the two genin he had slaughtered were now gone. Not even a full second later, Minato Namikaze appeared before him with a kunai drawn and an outraged look in his eyes.

"I already know you're not Hayate, so go ahead and show yourself, Orochimaru!" the blonde Hokage demanded.

The pale Sannin cackled in response. "You always were astute, Minato," Orochimaru reached up and grabbed his own face, "It's no wonder that Sarutobi personally chose you to be his successor!" He ripped away his flesh to reveal the pale countenance and yellow slitted eyes that Minato was hauntingly familiar with.

The Hokage wasted no time in attacking the enemy who was threatening Konoha.

"Doton: Great Mud River!" Minato called out.

A slough of mud suddenly enveloped Orochimaru's feet, pulling him closer to Minato who was quickly weaving through another of hand signs.

"Doton: Earth Dragon Bomb! Katon: Fire Dragon Bomb!" Minato's combo attack headed straight through the snake master's chest, only for the Sannin's body to completely dissolve into dirt.

' _An earth clone…_ '

Minato then realized the snake master was in the air just above him.

"Striking Shadow Snake!"

A slew of long-fanged snakes with wide-opened mouths rained down towards the Hokage. The snakes slammed into the ground filling their mouths with clods of earth and mud instead of the flesh of their target. Orochimaru landed just short of the slithering creatures and scowled over to the opposite end of the arena, where Minato was standing next to one of his special kunai which he had discreetly placed in the arena earlier.

"Alright Minato, if you want to play for a bit," the Sannin mocked as he raised his hand in the air, "we'll play."

Orochimaru then moved his fingers into a hand sign, instantly signaling four Oto ninja to each corner of the arena.

' _What's he up to?'_ Minato thought as he turned to observe the newcomers.

"Ninpo: Four Flames Formation!" the Oto ninja called out.

The arena floor was suddenly surrounded by a rectangular purple barrier, trapping Minato in with the monster who had invaded his village. The Yondaime immediately recognized the jutsu that Orochimaru's henchmen had just performed.

' _This is not good…'_

"LORD HOKAGE!" Minato turned to see one of his ANBU racing towards the barrier from the outside, unaware of the dangerous futility of his actions.

"No! Don't!" Minato shouted but it was too late. He watched the ANBU disintegrate as he body burned with purple flames from the barrier.

Orochimaru laughed mockingly behind the angry Hokage.

"There's no way in and no way out from this barrier," the snake master proclaimed, "and I assure you…Only one of us will leave this battle alive today!"

The Sannin then charged towards Minato who was able to dodge and parry his opponent's punches and kicks before transporting himself to another section of the arena.

"This fight will not be much fun if you keep fucking running away!" the Sannin yelled in frustration.

Minato took a moment to formulate a strategy. His first priority was to take this battle away from the village, but the barrier caused an obvious problem. There was one possibility but it was risky…he had never tried it with a barrier jutsu but it was his only option. First, he had to get close enough to Orochimaru.

The Hokage narrowed his eyes at his opponent. "It's hard to believe that I once looked up to you," he stated.

"Oh? Is that supposed to make me feel sad, Minato?" Orochimaru mocked.

"You were one of Konoha's famed Sannin," Minato continued, "an equal of my sensei's, and the prized student of the Sandaime. There were rumors that you were favored to be the Yondaime…but you ruined it all with your twisted ways of thinking and the grotesque experiments you performed on our village's own children!"

"My my…You're sounding just like Old Man Sarutobi these days."

The pale-skinned Sannin then released another slew of snakes from his arms, binding the blonde Hokage into a tight grip. Orochimaru laughed as Minato struggled to escape.

"How pitiful," Orochimaru lamented, "I thought the Yellow Flash of Konoha would have put up a better fight than this!" he yelled as the snakes tightened their grip.

The Hokage's body suddenly dissipated.

' _A shadow clone?! He must have created it while he was prattling on earlier and then used a substitution!'_

"Rasengan!"

The Sannin turned just in time to see the orb of swirling blue chakra connect into his chest, hurling him to the opposite end of the arena, stopping himself before hitting the barrier wall.

When the Sannin lifted his face, Minato felt a sickening chill go through his chest.

Orochimaru's face was literally melting, but instead of muscle and bone, underneath was…another face. It was the face of a young woman whose features were abnormally smooth. The eye were slitted and cold. The smile was disturbing and grotesque.

"What are you?" Minato questioned.

The Sannin started laughing with a high-pitched hysteria. "What do you mean?" a woman's voice spoke, "It's me, Orochimaru."

It was then that Minato realized what Orochimaru had done.

"Don't tell me… You've used _that_ forbidden jutsu…"

"Yes," Orochimaru confirmed, "the Immortality Jutsu. By transferring my essence into others' bodies, I can live forever!"

Maniacal laughter once again filled the air.

' _You're no longer human…'_ Minato thought with disgust, ' _You're a demon!'_

"Perhaps you'll feel better if you see a familiar face," Orochimaru spoke again as he lifted his hand to his face. Seconds later, Orochimaru's original face was restored. "There, feel better now?"

Minato smirked as he suddenly appeared in front of his surprised opponent with his palm on the snake master's chest.

"Yes."

And then the two were gone.

* * *

"Where's the Hokage?" Jiraiya shouted. He had just returned from taking Naruto into Konoha's secret passageways to be kept safe until his would-be capturers were expelled from the village.

One of the ANBU turned towards him and gestured behind.

"Him and Orochimaru were battling in there until just now. It seems the Hokage used his jutsu to teleport them both out of the arena. Where they are now though is a mystery…"

"Damn it!" the Toad Sage cursed.

He observed the four Oto ninja dispel the barrier and look around in confusion as to where their leader was taken to. A loud explosion was then heard in the direction of the village's main gates. Jiraiya looked over in that direction and saw several giant snake summons breaching the village's walls, wreaking havoc and chaos.

' _Shit…This is a full-blown assault…But I can't leave Minato to handle Orochimaru by himself!'_

"Master Jiraiya!"

The Sannin turned to see the Kazekage, along with his escorts and a crowd of Suna shinobi standing behind him.

Gaara spoke again, "Go on and catch up to the Hokage, we'll take care of things here."

Jiraiya nodded in acknowledgment, grateful for the Kazekage's aid, and took off to search for his former pupil.

' _Just hang on a little longer, Minato…'_

* * *

The two powerful ninja landed with a thud in an open field just outside of the village. Orochimaru picked up himself off the ground, glaring furiously at his opponent.

"What the hell did you just do?!"

Minato smirked. "In order to protect the village, I needed to take this battle further away so I used my Hiraishin to bring us to one of my markers outside of Konoha."

Orochimaru snarled. This was certainly a set-back in his plans to capture the Kyuubi's jinchuruki.

"The village, the village," Orochimaru mocked, "that's all you fucking people care about!"

"I'll never let you win," the blonde Hokage stated, unfazed by his opponent's ridicule.

Orochimaru chuckled mockingly. "If you're trying to scare me, Minato, it isn't working." The Sannin then took several steps closer to his opponent. "You know you could end all this by giving up your little fox."

Minato's eyes widened at the outrageous suggestion.

Orochimaru continued, "I heard he's become quite the little terror out in the battlefield…In fact, he's become so dangerous that you've had to confine him to the village, haven't you?"

Minato stared hard, not responding.

"It amazes me that you would put your whole village at risk just to protect a monster…even if he's your own son." The Sannin stuck out his abnormally long tongue to lick his lips. "If you just tell me where he is, we'll go ahead and take him and be on our way. Because otherwise…I assure you that we will tear up every home and building in Konoha until we locate the Kyuubi's jinchuruki!"

The Yondaime stood there unwavering. "You may have no regard for anyone but yourself, Orochimaru. However…Konoha is a place where shinobi are born, raised, fight, grow old, and die for their home. Every single one of them…is precious to me, even if we're not all tied by blood!" Minato raised his face, glaring at his opponent. "I am the Hokage, the village's protector. You cannot destroy the village, without destroying me first!"

Minato was suddenly behind Orochimaru with a kunai to his throat.

"And if you think I would sacrifice Naruto so easily…then you're a fool!" he growled as he cut the blade into Orochimaru's flesh.

The Sannin's body crumbled into a pile of dirt, as the earth clone dissolved. Minato reacted quickly and blocked Orochimaru's attack from behind him. The two then jumped apart from the other.

The snake master chuckled menacingly. "Very well Minato…if you want to fight until you have no breath left inside of you to protect your worthless village, then that's what you'll get!"

Orochimaru then opened his mouth to an unnaturally wide shape. Minato watched in dismay as a snake rose up out of the Sannin's throat. The snake then opened its' own mouth to reveal the handle of a sword, which Orochimaru grabbed and pulled up until it was completely out of the snake's body. The creature then slithered back into its' master's gaping mouth.

The Sannin grinned with malice as he held the Kusanagi Sword, his legendary weapon. With a fierce cry, both powerful ninja charged towards the other, their weapons drawn ready to kill the other.

* * *

"OK everyone, this is not a drill. We've taken you kids down here because Konoha is currently under threat from an outside enemy," Iruka announced.

A startled gasp and anxious murmuring could be heard amongst the children that Iruka and the other Academy teachers had just evacuated into Konoha's secret passageways.

Iruka smiled reassuringly at them. "Don't be afraid though. Lord Hokage and Konoha's forces are fighting back against the attackers as we speak! We have our allies from Suna aiding us as well. In the meantime, just stay calm and listen exactly to what we say!"

"Right!" several of the students exclaimed. They then gradually fell back into their idle chatter, their earlier fears being eased for now.

Iruka sighed. He meant what he had just said but he was also a bit anxious himself. He was disturbed when he had learned from Jiraiya that Orochimaru was the one behind the current assault that was happening on the village. Iruka glanced down the hallway where, unbeknownst to most of the evacuees, Orochimaru's target was being kept in hiding.

The Academy wasted no time in evacuating all of the students as soon as word got out that an attack had occurred in the middle of the Chunin Exams. Iruka was already deep into the tunnels with his students when Jiraiya arrived with an unconscious Naruto. The Toad Sage quickly filled him in on what was going on and entrusted the scar-faced chunin to keep watch over his former student. For an extra measure, Iruka asked one of the other teachers, who was from the Yamanaka clan, to place a jutsu onto Naruto's mind that would guarantee his unconscious state for a longer period of time.

Iruka had every faith in the Yondaime's ability to protect the village and the extensive security measures that had been put into place to protect Konoha's citizens for events such as these. Not even Orochimaru knew about the existence of the tunnel systems.

The scar-faced chunin kept his gaze towards where Naruto was laying unconscious. Even if the enemy somehow did find their way down into the tunnels, Iruka would fight them off with every breath in his body before he would allow them anywhere near his former pupil.

* * *

"Is everyone accounted for?"

The Hyuga guard nodded. "Yes, Lord Hiashi! Every member of the Main Household is currently locked down inside the Hyuga Mansion with strict instructions to not leave until further instruction. We've also sent support to the branch members to ensure their safety."

Hiashi breathed a small sigh of relief. "Good…Is there any more information yet as to what exactly is going on inside Konoha?"

The guard shook his head. "Not really, though one of our scouts reported seeing several large snake summons attacking near the village's main gates."

A terrible feeling settled in Hiashi's gut. He knew then exactly who was currently attacking Konoha and prayed that his dear friend, the Hokage, would be successful in warding off the threat.

"I see…Please continue to monitor the situation in Konoha and keep me updated."

"Yes, sir!"

Meanwhile, deep inside the Hyuga Mansion, Hiashi's daughters, along with their lady-in-waiting, Hotaru, were huddled together in the girls' bedroom while they waited for the lock-down to end.

"I'm so bored! How much longer do we have to stay in here?" Hanabi whined next to her sister.

Hinata didn't respond. Her attention was instead focused outside the bedroom window from which Konoha could be seen in the distance. A cloud of smoke and dust rose unsettlingly into the sky above the village. The Hyuga princess couldn't stop shivering from the terrible vibes she was sensing.

She couldn't help but feel that something very tragic was about to happen.

"Big Sister! Are you even listening to me?"

Hinata turned her face to look down at her sister and stroked the girl's hair affectionately.

"Hanabi, we need to be patient. The people of Konoha are in grave danger right now. We should be thankful that we're safe over here out of harm's way."

"I guess you're right…"

Hinata gave her sister a small smile of validation before turning her gaze back out towards the window.

' _Please be safe Naruto…'_

* * *

Minato was holding his own in the fight against Orochimaru. He was able to parry the snake master's vicious attacks from his Kusanagi Sword and bizarre jutsu, while landing hard-hitting blows onto the Sannin thanks to the marker placed on him earlier at the arena.

However, it was very clear that Orochimaru would not be retreating; he had meant it when he declared earlier that he would fight Minato until one of them was dead. At this rate, Minato would need to do something drastic to stop Orochimaru.

A sobering realization then came over him.

' _You're not going to be very happy with me, Kushina…I know that you once begged me to never use this jutsu, but it's the only way I can stop Orochimaru and protect the village…and Naruto.'_

Minato was able to move quick enough to teleport to one of his markers several kilometers away while simultaneously creating a shadow clone, without Orochimaru noticing. The clone stayed behind while Minato prepared his jutsu.

The blonde Yondaime hesitated for just a moment. Once he started the process, he could not turn back. The memory of his earlier conversation that morning with Naruto came into his mind, making him smile.

' _I hope you'll forgive me someday, Naruto…'_

Without further preamble, Minato quickly moved through the hand seals: Snake. Boar. Ram. Rabbit. Dog. Rat. Bird. Horse. Snake.

"Reaper Death Seal!"

The frightening form of a horned demon with a blade carried in its mouth, rose from behind Minato. The demon spread it's limbs out, with its left arm wrapped in blood-red prayer beads. Suspended just in front of the demon, was the form of Minato's own soul, partially separated from his body. The demon started chanting unintelligibly as a curse mark snaked its' way up the demon's arms.

Meanwhile, Minato's clone was staving off Orochimaru's vicious attacks from the Kusanagi Sword.

"Getting tired yet, Minato?" Orochimaru mocked as he brought the blade down to cut through his opponent.

The clone quickly turned his three-pronged kunai upside down and brought the hilt up with a force strong enough to knock the Kusanagi Sword from the snake master's hands. He then turned the kunai back, blade up, and swiped towards Orochimaru. The snake master bent backwards to evade and was shocked when the Yondaime was suddenly in front of him, his hands gripped firmly around the Sannin's upper arms. He then saw Minato's clone dissipate a few feet away.

' _So I was fighting with a clone this whole time…Then he switched places with that kunai!'_ the Sannin realized with frustration.

"It ends here, Orochimaru," Minato stated calmly.

The snake master struggled in Minato's strong grip, unable to see the terrifying Reaper that was currently suspended behind the Hokage.

"What do you mean!?" Orochimaru bit out.

Minato said nothing however, as the demon's arm reached out through his chest and into Orochimaru's. The Hokage watched with gratification as the Reaper started to pull the Sannin's soul from his body.

Orochimaru continued to struggle and was no longer able to move. He was still blind to the demon that was currently pulling out his own soul.

' _I can't use my jutsu! What's happening to me!?'_

Minato kept his focus, using what little strength he had left to ensure Orochimaru would meet his end.

The snake master managed to bend two of his fingers ever so slightly. It was enough to achieve what he intended.

Minato's senses suddenly alerted him to a threat coming straight for him from behind, but the Yondaime would not yield. The sound of metal puncturing through flesh filled Minato's ears and blood dribbled from his lips as the Kusanagi Sword impaled his chest.

Orochimaru was shocked. "Why the hell didn't you move out of the way?"

Minato coughed up a spattering of blood before responding. "There's no point. I already determined my fate when I activated the Reaper Death Seal."

"What?!"

It was then that Orochimaru saw the terrifying figure of the Reaper looming over them both. The creature took the knife from its mouth and licked the blade with an eerie enjoyment.

"What the fuck is that thing?!"

Minato smirked. "In just a few moments, our souls will be consumed into the belly of the Reaper. You'll live the rest of eternity out in complete agony."

Unfortunately, the wound he received from the Kusanagi Sword was fatal. The Yondaime feared that he may not have enough strength to completely seal Orochimaru's soul before dying from blood loss.

His grip weakened and Orochimaru's soul was stuck only partially out of his body, as the two men struggled for victory.

"I won't let you!" Orochimaru growled.

Minato's vision started to go dark. His body wouldn't hold out much longer.

' _It seems I have no choice…'_

The Yondaime then let go of his grip on Orochimaru's arms and clapped his hands together, signaling the Reaper to bring his blade down through the partial form of the snake master's soul.

The pale-skinned Sannin staggered backwards as he emitted an unnaturally painful wail, while Minato fell to the ground onto his side, an image of the Eight Trigrams Seal appearing on his chest.

Orochimaru looked down in horror to see his arms rotting away. "What did you do to me?!"

Minato smiled with satisfaction. He wasn't able to fully seal Orochimaru, but he was able to ensure one thing.

"Your arms are now useless," the Hokage explained, "you'll never be able to cast another jutsu for the rest of your life."

"What?!"

"Lord Orochimaru!" Kabuto exclaimed as he made a sudden entrance. "Our forces have been unsuccessful in fully infiltrating the village. The Kazekage has proven to be a bigger challenge than we anticipated…What happened to you?"

The snake master stood there struggling with the pain of his decaying arms.

"Kabuto," he bit out, "our mission is a failure! We need to retreat for now."

"Yes, my Lord!" The silver-haired ninja then saw the Hokage lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood. "Yet it seems today was not a total loss…"

Kabuto walked over to Minato's body and pulled the sword from his chest, causing a fresh stream of blood to flow out. The rogue-nin noticed that the Yondaime was barely breathing, but still alive. Kabuto sneered and raised the sword above his head.

"I've always wondered what it would be like to kill a Kage!" He swung the sword down but was halted by his Master's voice.

"Stop!"

The silver-haired ninja looked up in confusion.

"Let him die the slow, agonizing death he deserves!" Orochimaru stated, "It will give him time to reflect on what a waste it was to give up his own life just for some rotten, pathetic village…"

"Whatever you say, Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto replied as he withdrew the sword back.

"Now hurry up and get me out of here! This pain is unbearable!" the snake master commanded.

Kabuto trotted over to join his master, then the two were gone in an instant.

Minato rolled himself over onto his back, a content smile on his face as he gazed at the sky above him and listened to the soft rustling of tree branches around him.

' _So this is how I die…I actually can't say I have any regrets about it…'_

He was starting to feel very light-headed and his vision slowly disintegrated into darkness.

"MINATO!"

Jiraiya ran to his former pupil's side and knelt down to examine him. "What happened? Where's Orochimaru?"

The Yondaime smiled weakly. "H-He's…retreated…for now…"

It was then that the Toad Sage realized how grave a state Minato was in. His chest was stained crimson from a stab wound just above his heart, but it was the seal burned onto his abdomen that disturbed Jiraiya the most.

' _So_ _you used_ _that_ _jutsu…'_

Jiraiya's heart felt heavy at the knowledge that not only was he about to lose one of his dearest students, but that Konoha was to be deprived of one of the greatest Hokages it would ever experience in its' history.

"Sensei…" Minato breathed out hoarsely. Jiraiya turned his gaze back to Minato's face, which still carried his normal calm expression behind all of the blood and bruises he had sustained from battle. "Tell him…I-I'm sorry…."

Jiraiya didn't need to ask who Minato was referring to.

The Toad Sage chuckled to himself, turning his face up towards the clear sky. "I don't know who Naruto is going to be more furious at when he wakes up. You, for ordering for him to be hidden away from the battle, or me, for carrying it out. Either way, the kid will be out for blood! I don't need to remind you of that though, do I?"

Jiraiya turned his countenance back to his former student, but knew that Minato would never reply back.

The Yondaime was dead.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **:(**

 **Despite the sad ending and not much NaruHina action going on, I've been very eager to get this chapter published as this is a crucial turning point in our story here. This was the hardest chapter for me to write so far mainly because of the battle scenes (and for some reason, I found Orochimaru to be difficult to write). This fic will not be very action/battle-heavy but there will be more fighting scenes to come in future chapters, so I would love any feedback that you all have to share regarding this chapter and the battle scenes.**

 **And sadly we are reaching the point where weekly updates will no longer be possible for me. When I first published this fic, the first 5 chapters were already written out and ready to go, and I've been working on chapters 6 and 7 since posting chapter 1. Chapter 7 is mostly done as I'm typing this and my intention is to have it posted a week from today. If for some reason I'm unable to meet this goal, you should still see the next chapter posted very soon after next Saturday.**

 **I hope you all don't hate me too much for killing off a character already, but I do everything for a reason. You NaruHina fans should be pretty happy with the next chapter though ;)**

 **As always, thank you all for your readership and support! I appreciate every single review, follow, and favorite I get and they really do help with keeping up my motivation to write. Until next time!**

 **UPDATE 10/7/18: Well...this has certainly not been my most popular chapter based on most of the reviews it's received so far. But I do appreciate it when people take the time to provide feedback (and do it without flaming), even if they do not like something that I wrote. I've since fixed some of the immediate problems in this chapter with portraying Minato as being much weaker in his fight with Orochimaru than is realistic, but I admit that this is still not my best chapter and I would like to revise further it at some point to better explain why Minato felt he had no other choice than to use the Reaper Death Seal to protect his village. I'm still very much open to feedback on how this chapter could be improved, but for now I've learned a few things on how to make future chapters I have in mind better and will press onwards. Thank you all again for your readership, I hope you guys will stick with me on this story ;)**


	7. Despair and Hope

**A/N: This took longer to get published than I initially anticipated due to it being a longer chapter than what I had planned out and it didn't help that I also hit a huge wall of writer's block when I reached the very tail end of this chapter. I hope you all enjoy though; this is my longest chapter yet!**

* * *

Naruto woke up in a dark, musty room with a painful headache, as if someone had taken a sledgehammer over his skull. He sat up slightly dazed and looked around, trying to figure out where he was. He noticed that the room he was in was carved out from rock and there were no sources of light other than a few flamed torches hanging off the walls…

He was in Konoha's secret passage system, which was only used for Level A emergencies, so why was he…

The jinchuruki suddenly stood up and remembered what had happened earlier. People were screaming and running out of the arena in the middle of the Chunin Exams and the Pervy Sage had told him they were under attack, but what happened after that? He would have to figure it out later.

He ran out into the hallway and turned towards the sounds of crowded voices.

' _They must have evacuated all of the villagers here.'_

Naruto then spotted Iruka just ahead so he hurried towards his former teacher.

"Naruto?" Iruka was taken aback by the blonde's sudden appearance.

"What's going on Sensei? Is the village still under attack?"

A solemn look over came Iruka's face that Naruto didn't understand.

"Yes…We were under attack earlier by Orochimaru and his men, but thanks to the quick actions of the Kazekage and the Hokage, the threat has been dispelled for now."

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief but then realized something.

"Wait, how the hell did I end up in here? I was stationed just outside the arena where the attack started, why wasn't I out there fighting alongside everyone else?"

Iruka averted his gaze and didn't respond. Frustration rose up quickly inside Naruto as he came to a conclusion.

"It was my dad wasn't it?" he growled.

Iruka looked up in surprise.

"He made the Pervy Sage bring me here so that I wouldn't do something reckless, is that it?"

"Naruto," Iruka interrupted, "calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down, Sensei! It's my duty as a shinobi to protect my village and my dad keeps humiliating me by taking that away!"

Iruka cooly placed a hand on the angry blonde's shoulder. "Let's go someplace quieter where we can talk."

Naruto begrudgingly complied as he followed Iruka into an empty hallway.

When they arrived, the blonde jabbed his fist into his palm as he continued his rant. "I swear, when I see my old man I'm gonna-"

"Naruto!" Iruka scolded, prompting the young jonin to look over at him. "Sit down." The scar-faced chunin bit out.

Naruto sat down on a nearby rock, still irritated over what his father had done. That strange expression then came over Iruka's face again, leaving Naruto with a disturbed feeling in his gut.

"Naruto…I don't know how to tell you this…Your father died today."

The air became very still and Naruto was unusually aware of the sounds of his own breath moving in and out of his lungs. He heard the words Iruka just said, but his mind couldn't make sense of them.

"…What do you mean?" he asked flatly.

"I don't know all the circumstances yet," Iruka explained, his voice breaking, "but I know your father fought with Orochimaru today and was able to stop him from fully infiltrating the village. However, it came at the price of his own life…"

Naruto could still hear his breath. _In and out. In and out._ Was his breathing always this loud? He stared hard at the ground below him. _In and out._ It still didn't make sense. _In and out._ His dad was the Yellow Flash of Konoha; shinobi from other villages were ordered to retreat if they encountered him in battle. _In and out._ His dad was the Hokage…How could anyone take down someone as powerful as the Hokage? _In and out._

"Naruto…"

The eighteen-year old jonin stood up suddenly, brushed past his sensei, and bolted out of the passageway.

* * *

Naruto was disoriented when he emerged into the daylight. It had felt like days since he was standing at his post at the stadium housing the Chunin Exams, but it was only mere hours ago. The sky was still blue and clear, and the weather was unusually agreeable. It was a disturbing contrast to the chaos going on around him. Buildings had been turned into piles of wood and brick. The pungent odor of smoke and flames permeated the air. A woman's miserable shrieking could be heard in the distance. Shinobi were darting around helping distraught civilians and carrying the wounded to receive aid.

Naruto bent over with his hands over his knees as he struggled to steady his breath, beads of cool sweat started to drip down his brow. When he reoriented himself after a few moments, he locked onto the Hokage's office and sprinted towards it.

When he arrived he found the building eerily quiet with no signs of any life. He ran up the stairs towards his father's office and bursted through the door. The room was dark and empty. His father's documents sat in piles on and around his desk.

"What are you doing here, Naruto?"

The blonde jinchuruki jolted around to see Jiraiya standing in the doorway.

"Where's my dad, Sensei? I need to talk to him…"

The Toad Stage gazed intently as his former pupil, taking in his disheveled state. He knew that Iruka already told Naruto the news of what had become of the Yondaime.

"Come with me," Jiraiya answered quietly, "I'll take you to him."

* * *

Naruto followed his sensei through the village and into Konoha's hospital. He was led through a series of winding tunnels that he previously had no idea existed beneath the hospital. The white-haired Sannin then stopped in front of a closed door and turned to face the jinchuruki.

"Naruto…Your father is inside of this room. Are you sure you're ready to see him?"

The young jonin was quiet as he remembered the words Iruka-sensei had spoken to him earlier.

"… _Your father died today."_

He reached into his back pouch and pulled out the special kunai that his dad had handed to him earlier that morning.

" _Starting tomorrow, I'm going to teach you the Hiraishin!"_

He needed to see his father.

"Yeah…I'm ready."

Jiraiya opened the door and stepped aside to let Naruto through. When the eighteen-year old came into the room he immediately noticed Tsunade, another Sannin and the village's head medical-nin, standing just beside a lone bed in the room.

She turned around in surprise. "Naruto! What are-"

She was silenced by Jiraiya gesturing his hand up.

Naruto ignored her as he stepped closer to the bed until he was standing at its' edge.

On the bed was his dad, eyes closed, but still holding the same calm, countenance he always had. His still body laid on-top of the covers, with a few tears in his flak jacket and white haori being the only indicators that he had been in battle recently. Tsunade must have already healed any cuts and bruises that Minato had sustained, leaving him with the false appearance that he was merely sleeping and could wake up at any moment.

In every storm in Naruto's life, Minato was the calm center. When he was a young child, he would often get scared at night so his dad always let Naruto sleep in his bed, snuggled close to his chest. When he was a failing student at the Academy, Minato would stay out with him on the training grounds all evening — even if he had just finished a full day of missions himself — until Naruto was ready to stop and return home. When he finally passed the graduation exam and became a genin, his father was the one to tie his hitai-ate around his forehead for the first time, telling him how proud he was. His father never wavered in his support for him throughout his shinobi career.

Even when he had nearly threw it all away.

The day after his failed attempt to stop Sasuke when he gave into the Kyuubi's power and nearly killed several of his comrades, Minato stood by him and spoke the words Naruto would always remember.

" _I believe in you completely, Naruto."_

Those words…he would never hear those words from his dad ever again. That realization punched Naruto in gut, nearly crippling him. The image of his father's body became blurry in his vision as hot tears tried to escape his eyes.

He quickly turned on his heel, ignoring Tsunade and Jiraiya's sympathetic gazes, as he strode out of the room. Once he was back out in the hospital's hallway, he punched a hole into the wall, emitting a mournful wail.

* * *

It had been over a week since Orochimaru's attack on the village. Konoha was in deep mourning over the loss of its' Yondaime. A joint funeral was held two days after the attack for Minato and all of the shinobi who lost their lives from the vicious assault.

On the morning of the funeral, Naruto dressed himself in the traditional black, shinobi mourning garb, but when he went to reach for his door to leave, he simply turned around and laid back on his bed, where he had been ever since.

Multiple people had stopped by to try to rouse him; Konohamaru, Jiraiya, Iruka, even Gaara himself tried to talk to the blonde before having to return to Suna. But Naruto ignored them all. All he could do, was lie in his bed, staring blankly at the wall, his mind and his body numb.

"Big Brother Naruto!"

Konohamaru had been persistently knocking and shouting outside of Naruto's door for the past ten minutes in another attempt to stir up the jinchuruki. Naruto continued to lay on his bed in silence, ignoring the pleas of his young friend.

"Please open the door, Big Bro! I have something _really_ urgent to tell you!…It's about something I overheard the new Hokage discussing with the village elders…"

That last sentence stirred Naruto's interest.

When Jiraiya came by the other day, he made no hesitation to let himself into Naruto's room despite not having an invitation. The Toad Sage then proceeded to prattle on about numerous things, almost as if he was choosing to disregard the fact that Naruto was just lying on his bed in silence, not even acknowledging his former sensei's presence. However, one piece of news that Jiraiya shared (and Naruto actually listened intently to) was the announcement of the new Godaime: Lady Tsunade Senju.

Apparently Jiraiya was originally offered the position but he quickly turned it down and recommended Tsunade instead. It was an appropriate choice, considering that she was also a Sannin and her medical ninjutsu skills were legendary even amongst other hidden villages. Not to mention, she was also the daughter of the late Hashirama Senju.

"They're talking about locking you away, Big Bro…"

When Naruto heard this he immediately sat up. In all his grieving, he hadn't completely thought through the harsh consequences of no longer being the Hokage's son. When his father was the Yondaime, Naruto knew he never had to worry about being a prisoner in his own village because of being a jinchuruki. Many other villages locked their jinchuruki away, treating them as weapons of war instead of human beings.

Now his father was dead and his freedom was no longer guaranteed. Naruto suddenly felt very vulnerable, like a rabbit ripped out from its' burrow and thrown underneath an open sky with several hungry hawks looming above.

Naruto finally stood up on his feet, stretching out his stiff limbs and popping his joints. He then walked over to his door to let his young friend in.

"What did you hear, Konohamaru?"

* * *

Naruto's eyes were burning from all of the dust his body was stirring up. He was currently crawling through the air ducts within the Hokage's Mansion. More specifically, he was a shadow clone of Naruto - the original was still laying low in his barracks room. In the event he was caught, the clone could just dispel himself, giving the original Naruto more time to act and make an escape if necessary.

Hopefully things wouldn't resort to that.

He had been crawling around for nearly twenty minutes, trying to find the location of the alleged secret meeting going on between the newly appointed Godaime and the village elders. The frustrated blonde was close to giving up and dispelling himself when he finally heard a muffling of voices just a few meters away. He scooted carefully until he was finally able to hear the voices and their words perfectly clear.

"Absolutely not!" he heard Tsunade shout.

"Lady Tsunade," a low withered voice chastised, "I understand that you've been abruptly appointed as the village's Godaime, but even _you_ must know that you cannot let personal feelings and ties get in the way of Konoha's safety."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. That voice belonged to Danzo Shimura; one of the village elders and advisors. He was a peer of the late Sandaime but was renowned for being against most of Hiruzen Sarutobi's methods and ideas for running the village. Danzo was even rumored to have been part of a secret faction that sought to overthrow the Sandaime and appoint Danzo himself as Hokage instead. Despite these rumors and other questionable activities, the old bat somehow managed to have been appointed to become one of the village's elders.

Naruto despised the man. Danzo never once acknowledged him as a respectable shinobi of Konoha; the man barely even recognized Naruto as a human being. The blonde could remember as early as when he was a young child of being treated and spoken to by Danzo like he was just a deplorable creature with no rights and feelings.

Then when Naruto's father became Hokage, Danzo's efforts to suppress Naruto's freedom became even more intensive. The elder took every opportunity he could to use his position to lock Naruto away, but his father stopped him at every attempt. The closest Danzo ever came to success was the day Naruto lost control of the Kyuubi for the first time and almost killed a squadron of jonin. Now that his father was dead, the blonde jinchuruki had a very real fear that Danzo would finally be successful in imprisoning him for good.

"Naruto Namikaze is a threat to the village," Danzo continued, "he attacked a squadron of his own peers, ending the career of one of them and nearly killing several more. He became so impossible to control and command at his various posts during our war with the Uchiha clan, that even Minato felt it was necessary to pull Naruto back into the village and keep him under constant surveillance. Naruto has shown no improvement and it's widely known that he's vehemently against his suspension. He refuses to see his past his own selfishness to acknowledge the greater good for the village. Drastic actions need to be taken against him now before he becomes too large of a threat for our village to handle."

Naruto felt a rising heat threatening to overtake his body as he continued to listen anxiously to the conversation going on below about his fate. He then heard what sounded like a chuckle come from Tsunade.

"I don't disagree that Naruto is not fit to be returned to full active duty yet," the newly appointed Godaime spoke. "However, Naruto is a Konoha jonin. He has worked harder than any of his other peers to make it this far and to treat him like a criminal is an insult to the position he's rightfully earned within our shinobi forces."

Naruto let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding in this whole time. He was touched by the old lady's passionate support for him.

Tsunade continued, "We will continue to keep the suspension that Minato had already put in place on Naruto. I'm willing to keep the suspension as long as it's needed and I'm even open to imposing harsher restrictions on Naruto if that's what it takes to obtain his full cooperation. But we will _not_ imprison him for something he's never had any choice over and I will fight each of you tooth and nail to prevent that if necessary. Am I making myself clear?"

Naruto couldn't see what was going on below but the murmured silence told him that this matter was settled. For now at least. The clone breathed a sigh of relief and was about to dispel himself until he heard the next topic of conversation from below.

"There's also the matter of the Hyuga alliance that's supposed to be announced two days from now," Koharu Utatane, another village elder, spoke up.

Naruto froze in place, his anxiety starting to rise back up even stronger than before.

"Minato was the one who was the true advocate of this alliance, despite the advice and misgivings we had counseled him with. We only gave our consent to the alliance if Minato was willing to do what was necessary on his part to ensure the alliance was a success. However, now that he is gone, I believe it would be appropriate to re-visit the issue. Would you agree, Lady Tsunade?"

A thick silence hung in the air before Naruto heard Tsunade's response. "I agree with you Lady Koharu. I wasn't fully on-board with allying with the Hyuga Clan at this time either, so I think it warrants a discussion."

Naruto felt himself starting to suffocate and he could no longer hear the conversation going on below. The original needed to learn about this. Now.

Without any more hesitation, the shadow clone dispelled himself.

* * *

Naruto stumbled backwards onto the floor of his room as the flood memories rushed into his mind with the force of a raging river. His heart was beating furiously as he thought of one person.

' _Hinata…'_

He of course had not forgotten about her and the decision he was supposed to have been making in a few days, but it was something that had been pushed to the back of his mind when his father died.

Until now that is.

He was relieved to know that Tsunade was passionate in her support for keeping him out of imprisonment, but the memory of hearing her agree with one of the elders that the Hyuga alliance was up for questioning brought a stronger wave of fear and anxiety than the idea of being locked up ever had.

What if he was never allowed to see Hinata again?

The question paralyzed him and the blonde clenched his shirt as he felt his heart tighten painfully.

He needed her. He needed Hinata to be in his life.

The jonin stood up and walked across the room towards a mirror. He gripped his hands onto his messy, blonde locks as he stared at his disheveled, alarming appearance. He noticed his eyes were bloodshot and carried dark circles underneath them from lack of sleep. A frenzied feeling of panic start to build-up inside of him.

He refused to let anyone take Hinata away from him.

Naruto slowly lowered his hands as he formulated a plan in his mind. He would need to act quickly.

He rushed over to his dresser, pulling out a fresh set of clothes.

' _I won't give up on you so easily, hime…I promise.'_

* * *

 _'What the fuck did I get myself into?'_

Naruto was currently laying low underneath a bush on the Hyuga clan's grounds with his senjutsu fully activated. His plan was to find Hinata and talk to her alone. He didn't want to put in a formal request to visit her due to the short timeline he was working on and the fear he had of his request getting denied, considering present political circumstances.

When he put his plan together earlier, he had decided to sneak onto the compound in the late hours of the night after most people would be asleep. While he was waiting for the right hour to leave for the Hyuga estate, Naruto cleaned himself up and ate the first decent meal he had since the news of his father dying. By the time he left the barracks, he hadn't looked as unkempt and frantic as he had earlier.

He knew sneaking onto the Hyuga compound would be difficult, but if this were an official mission it certainly would have been A-ranked at the very least. The Hyuga protected their property very throughly by stationing many guardsman in both plain-sight and in discrete areas. Moving around without detection from the guard's Byakugan required a heavy reliance on his senjutsu, several shadow clones, and _a lot_ of patience.

After what felt like several hours, Naruto had finally managed to get close enough to the Hyuga Mansion to detect Hinata's chakra. He thanked whatever gods were out there watching over him, because he sensed that she wasn't deep within the mansion in her room as he initially anticipated. Instead, she was outside near her garden far away from most of the Hyuga guardsmen. Though it bothered Naruto as to why the Hyuga princess was sitting outside by herself in the middle of the night when she normally would be sleeping, he counted it as a lucky break anyway.

When he felt enough of the Hyuga guardsman move into a safe distance away, Naruto made his move and sprinted towards Hinata's location.

* * *

Hinata sat quietly on the small wooden bench adjacent to her humble garden. She had been unable to fall asleep earlier so she had decided to take a walk to check on her moonflower. Sadly, when she arrived she saw that the bud still had not bloomed and when she took in the decaying state of her beloved plant, she was starting to doubt that she would ever get to see its radiance.

The girl sighed to herself, tugging the ends of her overcoat closer together to ward off the chilly winter air. She hadn't seen Naruto in nearly two weeks.

The news of the Yondaime's death was startling and tragic. The announcement of the alliance had been put on hold and the only discussion Hinata had with her father over the matter was him simply telling her that he did not know if the alliance would still move forward as planned.

As anxious as she was over the uncertainty of her future, her greater concern was for Naruto's well-being. She knew how close he was to his father and it pained her to know that she was not at his side during what must have been a very distressing time for the young jonin. Hinata knew the suffering that the loss of a parent caused and all she wanted was to be there for her dear friend, letting him know he didn't have to carry the pain all alone.

SNAP!

Hinata jumped at the sound of a twig breaking and felt her breath hitch in her throat when she realized someone was approaching her. She looked over and saw a familiar blonde-haired shinobi silently step out of the darkness.

She stood up, clutching her overcoat tightly around her shoulders, her pale eyes wide with surprise at being visited by the young man she was just thinking of moments before.

Naruto gave her a weak smile. "Hey, Hinata!"

The Hyuga princess took in her visitor's appearance. He was currently dressed in civilian's clothes, which Hinata had not seen him in before. Every time he had come to the compound, he was always tall and broad-shouldered in his shinobi uniform with the long bands of his hitai-ate falling down his neck, making him look like a gallant warrior. Tonight though Naruto looked smaller somehow to Hinata. His shoulders were hunched over and his body was slouched down. His normally brilliant blue eyes were now dulled and dark. His brightness was nearly all gone and it broke Hinata's heart.

The blonde sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I lucked out tonight; I thought I was gonna have to sneak around the mansion to find you but you're already out here!"

Hinata stood there not knowing what to say. Tears were threatening to escape from the corner of her eyes.

Naruto noticed her palpable silence. "Is everything okay?"

"That's what I should be asking you," she replied quietly.

Naruto brought his hand off his neck and let it fall back to his side as his face fell into a frown.

"Is it alright if I sit with you, Hinata?" he asked meekly.

She nodded. "Of course you can."

The two silently made their way over to the bench Hinata was occupying earlier and sat down. Naruto kept his gaze forward, studying the outlines of the plants resting contently in Hinata's garden, while the dark-haired beauty scrutinized him in concern.

Both were quiet for a while until Hinata finally spoke up. "I'm so sorry to hear about your father, Naruto…"

Naruto didn't say anything but there was something about the sincerity of her soft voice that triggered something inside of him, giving permission to let go.

A potent memory came into his mind.

 _"See you later, Naruto!"_

 _The six-year old boy stood there dumbfounded next to Iruka-sensei as he watched Minato turn around and walk away from him. Naruto was told that he would be staying with Iruka-sensei for a little while until his dad could return. The young boy didn't know everything, but he knew that Konoha's ninja were in a big fight right now with other ninja from different villages. Some of his classmates told him stories about their parents having to leave for long periods of time. But some of them didn't come home…like Kiba's dad._

 _What if that happened to his dad too?_

 _The little boy's bright blue eyes filled with tears. What if he never saw him again? Sure, he had his classmates, Iruka-sensei, Pervy Sage, and Granny. But nobody loved him more than his dad…Naruto would be all alone if anything happened to him._

 _"Daddy wait!" the little boy cried out as he ran towards his father._

 _"Naruto!" Iruka shouted as he tried to catch up to the little blonde._

 _Minato stopped and looked behind him in surprise. He smiled calmly as he knelt down to talk to his son._

 _"What's wrong, Naruto? Why are you crying?"_

 _"B-because," the boy said between sobs, "I d-don't w-ant this to b-be the last time I-I see you!"_

 _Minato ruffled his son's hair. "Don't worry son, I have every intention of coming home!"_

 _The boy sniffled and looked up. "R-really?"_

 _Minato nodded just before he gave his son a big hug, which seemed to instantly calm the boy down. When he released the hug, he wiped a few of the tears off of his son's whiskered cheeks._

 _"But even if I don't come home, Naruto, there's something I want you to always remember."_

 _"What's that?" the boy hiccuped._

 _Minato smiled at him. "That I love you more than I love my own life. Never forget that!"_

His father had been the only family Naruto had left. His mother's clan, the Uzumaki, had all died off many years ago during a civil war that occurred within Uzushiogakure. The Namikaze clan had been very small and its' remaining members, aside from Naruto and Minato, had been killed in the last Great Ninja War.

There was something very isolating with being the only living member left of your family and it hit Naruto hard in that moment.

His grief, his pain, his loneliness, his fear; all the emotions that Naruto had made himself numb to during all those days of lying on his bed over the past week, came to the surface as he sat there on that bench next to Hinata.

He didn't make any noise. Instead, warm, salty tears fell freely from his eyes and onto the back of his hands which were currently clenched over his knees. His shoulders shook as his anguish started to rise and pour out of him.

He then felt soft, cool fingers gently wrap around his own and he instinctively turned his palm up to carefully grasp Hinata's comforting touch into his.

"I don't know how to move on without him…" Naruto said hoarsely, feeling a reassuring grip from Hinata's hand.

The two remained that way for a while until Naruto slowly opened up about all of the thoughts and feelings that had been plaguing him for days: The guilt he carried for holding resentment towards his dad up until the moment he found out his father had been killed. The haunting image of his father's body lying cold and silent on a plain hospital bed. Not going to the funeral because he wasn't ready to say goodbye.

Hinata sat there quietly beside him listening and continuing to hold his hand, providing an encouraging squeeze whenever Naruto reached a particular emotional or painful part of his ramblings. It was a strong comfort to him just to have someone who would listen and allow him to admit his thoughts out loud without judgement, and let him grieve for what he lost without trying to give him solutions on how to move on.

Naruto eventually felt his weight temporarily lift after he got out enough of his tears and feelings. He carefully let go of Hinata's hand and switched to a lighter topic of conversation, asking Hinata how she had been and what she had been up to since he last saw her. He felt his weight continue to feel lighter as he listened to her smooth, soft voice telling him about a new flower she had recently planted, Hanabi getting into trouble for putting sneezing powder into a noblewoman's tea, and the taijutsu spar she finally got to watch between Neji and Ko.

Their conversation slowly fell back into silence and Naruto's stomach clenched up in anticipation of making what would be the most important choice of his life.

"Hinata…I came here tonight because there's something I need to tell you."

"Oh?" she reacted tentatively.

Naruto swallowed hard. "When my dad first told me about this arrangement, I was furious. It felt like it was just another piece of my life that someone else was trying to control. Even after he told me it would still be my decision, I gave no second thought to just saying no and walking away."

He took a deep breath. "But then… I met you, and you were nothing like I'd assume you would be. And as I've gotten to know you, I keep finding myself wanting to have more time just to be around you."

He gave her a quick side glance and was encouraged to keep going when he saw her gentle gaze resting upon him, listening to his words. "There's something about you that just…makes me calmer. _Nobody_ has ever made me feel like that. And every time we say goodbye, I can't stop thinking about when I'll get to see you again."

Hinata's heart started racing in anticipation of where Naruto's words would lead to next.

He continued, "But now that my dad isn't here, our arrangement is not that certain. I actually overheard our new Hokage say that she didn't support the idea of Konoha allying with the Hyuga clan right now. When I heard those words…" He then turned towards Hinata, gazing intently at her, "all I could think about was that I didn't want to lose you."

Her lavender eyes widened as he gently took one of her hands in-between his own, keeping his intense blue gaze on her. She marveled at how warm his hands were, despite the frigid temperatures outside.

"I don't understand exactly what it means to truly love someone…and I still don't know all that I feel right now. But I know I don't want to be apart from you, Hinata. If marrying you is what I need to do to ensure that, then I'll marry you right now in this spot without looking back."

Hinata was stunned by Naruto's bold confession and she could feel the blood draining from her face as she tried to wrap her mind around the fact that the man sitting beside her had essentially just proposed marriage. Before she could respond, Naruto continued, grasping her hand harder.

"But, I only want to do this if this is what _you_ want too, hime. Don't do this because you feel obligated to your father or even because you want to make a better life for the branch members. If that's your only reason to marry me, then we'll find another way to help your clan. I'll spend the rest of my life fighting to protect the branch members and when I'm Hokage, I'll find a way to ban your clan from ever using the Caged Bird Seal ever again! You of all people deserve to be happy Hinata…and I'll do whatever it takes to help you find it. Whether it's working together with you as your friend to end your clan's suffering once and for all, or if it's spending the rest of my life with you as your husband."

Something warm and calming started to surge through Hinata's blood, slowly overtaking over her limbs and chest. She had to keep reminding herself to breath and she prayed that Naruto couldn't feel the small trembling going on in her hands. Hinata trusted in every word that Naruto had just spoken. She knew in her heart, that he really would do everything he could to help the less fortunate members of her clan and he would likely succeed. She knew right there in that moment, that she did not need to marry him to achieve her goal of bringing a brighter future to her clan. Naruto was a special person. Despite his present challenges, Hinata knew he was the type of person who would one day overcome those struggles and inspire others to do the same. He was a shinobi that was going to achieve great things.

It was in that moment, that Hinata Hyuga realized that she was starting to fall for Naruto Namikaze in a way that she never had and never would for anyone else. She may not have completely fallen in love with him today and probably would not tomorrow. But someday she would; she had never been more certain of anything else in her life.

And for that reason alone, she never wanted to be apart from him either.

Unnerved by her silence, Naruto started to feel a hectic anxiety build up inside of his chest.

"Please say something…" he pleaded softly, desperate for her response.

Hinata had lowered her face while she was taking in Naruto's proposal. Her dark bangs didn't allow him to see the small smile that had formed on her lips. He then heard her emit a soft murmur but didn't understand what she was trying to say.

"I can't hear you, hime," he told her gently.

She then lifted her countenance to him, her lavender eyes shining and a smile adorning her beautiful face.

"I said that I want to be with you always too," she answered quietly.

Naruto felt himself grasp her hand harder between his own, as a feeling of hope started to rise in his heart, dispelling his earlier grief.

"You mean…?"

Hinata nodded quietly, gathering her courage. "I'll marry you, Naruto."

As those words hit Naruto's brain, he could feel his mouth stretching into a wide grin. For the first time in over a year — before Sasuke defected from the village, before Sakura broke his heart with her rejection, before his father died to protect everyone — Naruto felt a bolt of pure happiness strike his heart. He suddenly felt much less alone, knowing that he had someone who wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

Without preamble, Naruto engulfed his arms around Hinata's shoulders and pulled her tightly against his chest. Despite the cold temperatures they were currently sitting in, Hinata felt like her cheeks were on fire as she was crushed against Naruto's firm shoulder and was close enough to smell the faint traces of soap from the skin of his neck. Naruto had inadvertently pinned the girl's arms to her sides so she was unable to return the embrace (even if she could have overcome her paralyzed nerves to do so). She could hear Naruto chuckle as he hugged her firmly.

"I'll never leave your side, hime, that's a promise, ya know?," she heard him say.

Hinata smiled against his shoulder and a single tear escaped down her cheek.

' _I'll never leave your side either, Naruto.'_

Unbeknownst to the couple, there in Hinata's garden, a single, white moonflower had finally bloomed. Though it was small and unseen, its' beauty was brilliant nonetheless.

* * *

Naruto stared hard at the wall ahead of him, taking deep breaths to steady his raging nerves. He had barely slept last night after sneaking onto the Hyuga compound to propose to Hinata. He was thrilled that she accepted and he still had a hard time believing all of it was real. Now came the hard part: Convincing both the Hyuga and Konoha's leadership that the alliance was still a good idea.

He was currently sitting in Hiashi Hyuga's office, patiently waiting for the clan leader to meet with him. Naruto was dressed in his formal shinobi uniform, the same one he wore to dinner on the night him and Hinata first met. He kept wiping the sweat off of his palms onto the fabric over his knees as he sat there waiting.

The blonde took another deep breath and closed his eyes. The memory of hugging Hinata close came to his mind, making him feel calm again. He opened his blue eyes, determined to ensure that his request to Lord Hiashi would be granted today.

He finally heard the shoji door behind him slide open and Naruto immediately stood up. He turned and gave a respectful bow when he saw that Hiashi had entered the room.

The clan leader eyed the blonde jinchuruki warily. He could tell there was a confidence and a determination about Naruto that wasn't there before.

"As you were, Naruto," Hiashi stated.

Naruto straightened himself back up and nodded firmly in acknowledgment. Hiashi made his way to around his desk and the two men kneeled across from the other.

"Thank you for seeing me today on such short notice, Lord Hiashi," Naruto said.

"Of course," Hiashi answered back. It was quite a shock when he had received a message around six that morning informing him that Naruto Namikaze was at the gates, requesting a formal meeting with the clan leader.

A sense of remorse then rose up inside of Hiashi as he gazed back at the young man sitting across from him.

"Before we get into why you've requested this meeting, Naruto, please know that you have my deepest sympathies over the news of your father's untimely passing…He was a great shinobi and I'll always consider him as a cherished friend."

Naruto lowered his gaze and felt a tinge of sadness over the mention of his late father.

"Thank you, sir."

"Well," Hiashi spoke, changing the topic, "I know you must have an important reason for requesting to see me on such a short notice so please go ahead."

Naruto carefully returned his gaze towards the man sitting before him, not allowing his nerves to deter him from his goal.

"It's about Lady Hinata and I."

Hiashi sat there stoically, not surprised at Naruto's statement.

The young jonin continued. "I know the official announcement of the alliance between Konoha and the Hyuga clan was supposed to take place tomorrow. If I still have your blessing, I intend to marry Lady Hinata as part of the original agreement set by you and my father."

The Hyuga sat back and sighed. "I'm glad you finally came to a decision, Naruto, but I'm afraid it's too late."

Naruto felt his heart drop all the way into his stomach.

Hiashi continued. "Lady Tsunade has requested a meeting with me this afternoon to discuss the alliance your father and I had agreed to. While I'm not certain of how today's meeting will go, I have a feeling that things will not go as we had originally planned. My sources tell me that Lady Tsunade has many hesitations about bringing the Hyuga into Konoha at such a tumultuous time for the village." The Hyuga leader sighed once more, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger. "And it pains me to say this Naruto, but even if the alliance goes on as planned, you no longer being the son of the Hokage makes you a…much less significant suitor for my eldest daughter."

The blonde's nostrils flared slightly as he kept his unyielding stare upon the Hyuga leader.

"If I understand you correctly, Lord Hiashi, you're saying that the only chance I have to marry Lady Hinata is if the alliance between your clan and my village still continues as planned?"

Hiashi nodded. "That is correct."

"May I ask why, sir?"

The Hyuga leader clasped his hands in front of him. "If my daughter was to marry you — an outsider to the clan — without any sort of agreement or arrangement that would benefit the clan as a whole, she would immediately become an outcast. She would never be allowed to see me, her younger sister, or any other beloved member of her family ever again. Her name would be forbidden to be spoken by anyone within our clan. She would become a disgrace. I have no doubt you care for her, Naruto, and that you would be a good husband, but Hinata's honor is my top priority and so long as I'm alive, I will _not_ let anything ruin her reputation."

It took every piece of Naruto's strength and self-control to not launch into a rage right then and there in front of the Hyuga leader. Once again, Naruto found the ancient ways of the Hyuga clan to be appalling and he could not understand how someone as pure and caring as Hinata, could constantly be in danger of being such a "disgrace" to her own clan. But he was smart enough to understand that he needed to keep a cool-head and play the game to his advantage. Anything he could do to guarantee Hinata would remain in his life was worth it.

"I assure you, Lord Hiashi, the alliance will go on as planned."

Hiashi raised a curious eyebrow at the jinchuriki's bold declaration.

Naruto continued, "I've also scheduled a meeting with Lady Tsunade for today, and it just happens to be before her meeting with you. I promise, after I'm done speaking with her, you should expect her to agree to move forward with the alliance as originally scheduled."

Minato had always told Hiashi about Naruto's renowned boldness, but he never expected the young man to be this brazen.

"And why are you so confident about that, Naruto?"

The blonde changed his serious expression into a hearty grin. "I'm a lot smarter than I look, Lord Hiashi. I know how Lady Tsunade thinks and I'm confident I'll be able to convince her that the alliance is in Konoha's best interest."

Hiashi couldn't help but let a small smirk form on his lips for a moment before returning to his normal stoic expression.

"And as for my status as an _eligible suitor_ ," the blonde continued firmly, "I'm going to rise above the title of the Hokage's son, by becoming the next Hokage himself! I intend to be the greatest Hokage the village has ever seen, one even greater than my father, ya know? If that doesn't make me an honorable suitor for your daughter's hand, I don't know what will."

The Hyuga clan leader was momentarily stunned into silence before responding.

"Very well Naruto, let's see how your meeting with the Godaime goes. Now if you don't mind, I'm running a bit late for another meeting I have this morning so I won't keep you here any longer. You're free to go now."

Naruto gave a respectful bow before standing to leave. "Thank you for your time today, sir."

The blonde then turned and walked towards the shoji door to exit the room.

"Naruto?"

The young man stopped and turned.

"Why is my daughter's hand so important to you all of a sudden? During my last meeting with your father not that long ago, he informed me that you were still very hesitant to go through with the marriage."

Naruto didn't respond right away, wanting to choose his words very carefully before giving an answer to the man he was trying to turn into his future father-in-law.

"I've enjoyed getting to know your daughter over the past month. She's a very special woman and I think many have underestimated her for most of her life, and I know what that's like." He turned away slightly, shadowing the mournful expression on his face. "My father's death was…very unexpected and devastating for me. He was the only family I had left in this world and when he died…I guess you can say that it became very clear as to who the most important people in my life were. And Hinata is one of them. I never want to be apart from her again, it's as simple as that, ya know?"

The blonde couldn't see the gratified smile Hiashi was carrying before he spoke.

"I see. Well, I'm glad my daughter has been able to bring so much good into your life, especially during this difficult time. Let's hope that we'll both gain what we want from our meetings with the Hokage today."

Naruto turned back towards the Hyuga leader and smiled. "You bet!" He then turned to leave once more.

"Oh and Naruto?"

"Hm?" the young man looked over his shoulder.

"If I ever catch you sneaking onto the Hyuga property again without permission to see my daughter, I'll kill you myself."

* * *

"Say that again, Naruto?"

"I said that you and Hiashi Hyuga should still plan on announcing the alliance between Konoha and the Hyuga Clan tomorrow."

The Godaime stared incredulously at the young man sitting across from her. She was surprised when Shizune had informed her earlier that morning that Naruto was insisting on meeting with Tsunade as soon as possible and wasn't taking no for an answer.

He had just been holed up in his barracks room for over a week, refusing to speak with anyone. She had every sympathy for the young jinchuruki, after all, she was present when he viewed his father's dead body and witnessed the emotional break-down he had as a result. For him to suddenly demand a meeting with her, for reasons unknown, was one of the last things she expected from the eighteen-year old.

And here he was, dressed in his formal attire and speaking to her with the coolness of an experienced politician instead of the brash, loud-mouthed kid she was used to.

She leaned forward and folded her hands over her desk. "Naruto, I understand that your father had worked very hard to bring about this alliance, but things are different and we need to take the time to re-evaluate if this is still a good idea or not. The Akatsuki launched a full scale attack against us during a time when our security was at its' peak. We lost the Hokage and 38 shinobi from that attack. The Akatsuki have gone from a band of rogue ninjas, to a very well-organized and very real threat to the village. On top of that, we're still dealing with the Uchiha clan who are rumored to be working with the Akatsuki. I'm sorry, Naruto, but I cannot go through with bringing in a powerful clan, such as the Hyuga, to have access to our village's resources and intelligence. Especially when we don't know their full intentions. I'm not saying that the alliance won't be a possibility in the future, but this is the answer I intend to give to Lord Hiashi Hyuga when I meet with him later today."

Naruto's jaw clenched and his gaze hardened. "You're wrong."

"Excuse me?"

"That's exactly the type of backwards thinking that caused relations between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha to break down!"

Tsunade scoffed and leaned back in her chair. Now he was just getting on her nerves.

"Fine Naruto, tell me why exactly allying with the Hyuga now is such a good idea?" she asked albeit sarcastically.

Naruto took a deep breath, once again fighting his natural urge to give the old lady an earful, before he answered her calmly.

"The Hyuga Clan are _not_ the Uchiha, and comparing them both to the other isn't fair."

The Godaime stared back, curious as to where Naruto was going with his statement.

The young man continued, "I've spent time with both clans and I can say with absolute confidence that Hiashi Hyuga is a very different man from Fugaku Uchiha. Fugaku was a man who wanted nothing but more power and prestige for himself and his clan. As far as he was concerned, Konoha needed the Uchiha - not the other way around."

Naruto shifted forward on his chair, not breaking his stern eye contact with the Godaime. "Hiashi Hyuga on the other hand, is a leader whose main concern is about the well-being and protection of his clan. He understands that the Hyuga can no longer survive by themselves; they need a powerful ally such as us and he's willing to do whatever it takes to make an alliance with Konoha work."

"Such as?"

The blonde grinned proudly. "Well for one, he's willing to give his eldest daughter in an arranged marriage to a good-for-nothing like me, ya know?"

To Naruto's annoyance, Tsunade started snickering.

"What's so funny?" he demanded.

The Godaime brought her hand over her mouth, trying to quell her amusement. "I see, now it all makes sense."

"What does?"

"You want to marry Hinata Hyuga, but Hiashi won't allow it unless the alliance goes through as originally planned, am I right? That explains why you're here today trying to be all diplomatic. You must really like this girl, don't you?"

Naruto silently cursed himself for showing his cards too soon. The last thing he wanted was for Tsunade not to take him seriously. He was tempted to resort back to his normal, hotheaded self and bite back with a scathing retort, but he pressed onwards, keeping his cool tone.

"I know I'm not on the same level as my father yet, but one thing I do understand is that he _never_ made a decision unless it was for the absolute good of the village. He didn't just rely on the advice of the Council all of the time, because he knew the village wouldn't survive if it continued to do things just because that was the way it was always done. No, my dad was always challenging the status quo and thinking of new ways to fix old problems. His leadership is the reason why Konoha has made it this far, and I don't think it's fair for you to say that following through with an alliance that everyone involved had already agreed to weeks ago, is an irrational decision."

The Godaime sat there silently, but she couldn't deny the truth behind Naruto's words. When did this kid become so astute?

"I'll admit, that I have a high stake in all of this," Naruto continued, "I have a strong desire to marry Hinata Hyuga and her father will only grant that request to me if an alliance with Konoha comes with it. But I also truly believe that this is the best decision for both sides right now; especially given that the Akatsuki are a much bigger threat."

He paused for a moment and noticed that Tsunade seemed to be listening to him more seriously now, so he continued.

"The Hyuga's Byakugan is one of the most powerful dojutsu in the Land of Fire. Now that the Uchiha are enemies, why would we turn down the chance to have access to a kekkei genkai that actually rival's the Sharingan? Like I said before, Hiashi Hyuga is willing to do what's necessary to make an alliance work and I wouldn't be surprised if he offered as much as two-thirds of his shinobi to serve in Konoha's forces."

He then smiled knowingly. "Not to mention, the Hyuga's wealth and political connections rivals the Daimyo's himself."

Tsunade sighed defeatedly. "Fine Naruto, you've made your point. I'll admit that you bring up a few very valid reasons to consider going through with the alliance as originally planned by the Yondaime. I'll be more open to the idea during my meeting with Lord Hiashi today. Now if you don't mind, I'm very busy and this impromptu meeting of yours has thrown my schedule off a bit. You're dismissed."

When Naruto didn't move, Tsunade felt herself start to grow very irritated.

"I said that you're dismissed, Naruto."

"There's one more thing I want you to consider when you meet with Hiashi Hyuga today. It'll help you to get rid of a certain problem that not even my dad could solve."

"And what problem is that?" she asked tersely.

"Me."

Tsunade was taken aback by his response. "You?"

Naruto nodded. "I can't deny anymore that my loss of control over the Kyuubi has become a threat to my comrades and even to the village itself. I thought I could handle it on my own but…I keep failing and I'm not getting any better."

"But how does marrying Hinata Hyuga and forming an alliance with the Hyuga clan resolve anything regarding the Kyuubi?"

"Because I'm willing to risk my own freedom for it."

Tsunade started to feel herself grow ill over how far Naruto felt he had to go just to prove himself once again to the village. Yet, she also recognized the young jonin's seriousness and commitment to the matter and she knew as the Hokage, she needed to listen to his offer.

"…Go on."

* * *

Hinata was nervously fidgeting with the hem of her kimono. Her father had asked her to wait outside of his office to go over an important matter. He didn't say what the matter was exactly but she knew it had everything to do with Naruto, who was currently still in her father's office meeting with him.

She was well aware of the fact that Naruto had met with her father earlier that morning to formally tell the clan leader of his intention to marry Hinata. The Hyuga princess was still in the dark about what exactly had occurred in that early morning meeting, but the arrangement still must have been on the table for Naruto to be back later that same day meeting once again with her father.

What concerned her though was that the meeting had been going on for over two hours now.

Hinata could only hear the mixed murmurings of her father and Naruto's voices, marked by the occasional swell of a raised vocalization, but she couldn't make out any specific words being spoken by the two men. The day had long since ended and Hinata began to wonder if the meeting would go well into the dark hours of the night.

She was then brought out of her worried thoughts by the sounds of approaching footsteps and the door of her father's office sliding open.

"Thank you again for your time, Lord Hiashi."

The sound of Naruto's voice instantly made Hinata's heart beat faster in her chest. She hadn't seen or spoken to him since the night before in the gardens, and it wasn't until just then that she realized how much she had missed him.

"Certainly," her father's smooth voice answered, "I'll have someone escort you out to the gates."

As her father turned his back to summon for one of his attendants, Naruto turned towards her, locking his azure gaze onto hers, making her cheeks feel hot. He then flashed her that shining, boyish grin of his and winked.

Before Hinata had a chance to react, her father had already turned his attention back towards his blonde visitor.

"Kodi will escort you out, Naruto. I'm glad we were able to meet this evening."

Naruto turned back to face Hiashi and gave the clan leader a small, respectful bow, "Me too, sir."

"Hinata and I have much to go over, so please excuse me," Hiashi stated.

Just as quickly as the couple was momentarily reunited, were they were forced to go their separate ways for the evening. Hinata stole one more glance at Naruto before stepping into her father's office and thought she could still see a faint smile across his face as they parted.

Hinata kneeled down near her father's desk as she waited for him to take his seat across from her. A dull ache formed between her shoulder blades as her muscles stiffened in anxious anticipation of what was to come. However, as soon as her father sat down his expression shifted from an unreadable statue to a warm, approachable parent.

"You can relax Hinata…it's been a long day and I have no intention of making this a formal meeting. Think of this more as just a conversation with your father."

Hinata immediately felt all of the tension leave her tight muscles, relieved at her father's encouraging tone.

"Thank you, Father."

Hiashi shuffled through a stack of documents on his desk, putting them in order.

"I wanted to tell you," he spoke, "that the alliance between our clan and Konoha will be publicly announced tomorrow."

Hinata felt a bubble of immediate elation rise in her chest.

"Also," Hiashi continued, looking directly at his eldest, "your engagement to Naruto Namikaze will be announced as part of our arrangement with Konahagakure."

Despite having every reason to be relieved at her father's announcement, Hinata felt a queasiness in her stomach as her nerves kicked back in. Sensing his daughter's uneasiness, Hiashi decided to get straight to the point.

"Now then, I'll go ahead and share with you the terms that have been agreed upon by Naruto and myself for your marriage contract." He picked up one of the documents from his desk gazing at it carefully before continuing. "The wedding date will be set exactly six weeks from tomorrow; just before the spring season. You will take on the Namikaze name as yours, but you will still retain your rights and privileges as daughter to the Hyuga clan leader."

That last statement made Hinata's head shoot up in surprise as her father continued going over the terms of her impending marriage.

"Both of you will reside on the Hyuga property for a minimum of five years. As part of your dowry, a piece of land near the border between the Hyuga estate and Konohagakure will be given to you and Naruto. A small home will be built for you both as well and it should be ready to live in by the time of your wedding."

Hiashi paused before continuing onto the last set of terms he had discussed with his future son-in-law. They were the reason behind why his meeting with Naruto had dragged out longer than planned.

"…In order for Konoha's Council to still agree to the alliance that myself and the Yondaime had created, Naruto offered a few concessions."

A sinking feeling came over the Hyuga princess as she listened to her father's words.

Hiashi spoke, "If Naruto is to ever lose control of the Kyuubi again to the point where he injures or causes the death of another Konoha shinobi or citizen…he will immediately be imprisoned for life or perhaps even executed by Konoha if necessary."

"What?" Hinata eked out in dismay. She felt her stomach bundling into knots and hot tears forming near the corners of her eyes.

Hiashi continued before she could say anything further. "Naruto insisted on having three clauses added to the contract in the event this ever occurs. In fact, he refused to even leave the room unless I wrote them in." The Hyuga leader picked up a document off his desk and gave it a solemn gaze. "In the event that Konoha imprisons or executes Naruto, there would be special protections in place for both you and any children you and Naruto may have. For one, you would still retain all of your rights and privileges without any scandal. Two, you can take back the Hyuga name for yourself as well as for your children. And finally…You could annul the marriage with Naruto without any damage to your reputation or to the alliance with Konoha itself."

Hinata was shocked into silence and felt a painful numbness spread throughout her body at the thought of any of these events ever occurring. She clenched the fabric of her kimono and finally looked back up towards her father, holding back her tears and emotions.

"Why would he take such a big risk like this?" she asked softly, "All of this just to…"

Hinata's voice trailed off, not sharing her last thought out loud but Hiashi knew what she was about to say and smiled to himself.

"This alliance is very important to Naruto," Hiashi spoke, "and when something is important and precious to you…Naruto understands that every risk and sacrifice is worth it."

"I see…" Hinata lowered her gaze once again. It was hard to tell but Hiashi could make out a small smile over his daughter's lips.

The Hyuga leader couldn't help but be in awe over the day's events. It was not even twenty-four hours ago that he was certain that the alliance with Konoha was about to fall apart and he would be forced to look into other options to protect his clan and ensure its' survival for future generations.

Then, in just a matter of hours, Naruto managed to convince both the Godaime and the Konoha Council to move forward with the alliance as originally planned. He was even willing to put up his own life and freedom as insurance for the alliance to succeed. And on top of all of that, Hinata appeared to be happy with the prospect of being engaged to the blonde jinchuriki.

Minato was right all along it turned out.

"Father?"

"Hm?" Hiashi looked up, pulled out of his train of thought.

"Is everything all right?"

The clan leader smiled and nodded. "Yes, everything is fine Hinata…I was just thinking about how your fiancé is going to make a great Hokage someday."

* * *

 **A/N: Well there it is - Naruto and Hinata are engaged to be married! Our couple has a long ways to go though, both with each other and as individuals. There will be more hurdles for them to overcome but please be assured that I have a happy, satisfying ending planned for this story.**

 **I didn't want this to be a forced marriage story, yet I wanted the couple (Naruto in particular) to really feel the pressure of their circumstances by having a very small window of time to make a choice in. I also wanted to make it believable that Naruto and Hinata would still freely choose the other, despite not necessarily being completely in love with the other just yet, so I hope I did this all justice. You all seem to be enjoying the pacing of their relationship so far and I intend to keep that pace, even with them being engaged now (I promise not to drag things out too long though ;)**

 **Unfortunately, it will probably take me at least a month to have the next chapter posted. I'm going through a very hectic time in my life right now and will have very little free time to write. However, writing this fic is my escape from the craziness so I have every intention of working on it when I can. Please be patient with me :) and as always, thank you for your readership and support.**


	8. Preparation

**A/N: Thank you all for your patience. I could list all of the reasons why this chapter took several months to publish, but instead I'll simply say that I apologize for the wait and am sincerely grateful to every reader who supports this story.**

 **Some of you have been asking about why Hinata's first fiance, Hiroto, broke off the relationship. I have not revealed that reason and the full reason will actually not be revealed for quite some time. This chapter though will offer a little more insight on Hiroto and his new wife Miaka, along with Hinata's relationship with each of them.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Lady Miaka, you look radiant tonight!"

Miaka Hyuga reacted by turning her head to get a better look at the way her lady-in-waiting had done her hair, admiring her beautiful appearance. She had decided to go with a more traditional style for the evening instead of wearing her hair long and loose like she normally did. She wore a bright purple kimono with white and pink flowers dotting throughout, all tied together with a bright red obi. Miaka always liked being the most stunning girl in the room, but tonight she had to be careful not to stand out too much.

Because tonight was all about Lady Hinata.

Miaka frowned at the thought of having to attend a formal dinner being held in honor of Hinata's engagement to that fox demon from Konoha. Despite the fact that Hinata was technically no longer the clan heiress, she was still being regarded in the highest honors for her part in sealing an alliance with Konoha, which was announced five weeks ago.

For as long as Miaka could remember, she was always compared to Hinata. Miaka's own mother in particular wanted nothing more than Miaka to be just like Hinata, possessing her grace, intelligence, and natural beauty. The constant pressure to be just like Hinata made Miaka grow to despise the other woman. Instead of trying to become like Hinata, Miaka sought to be better than the former heiress. Yet, no matter what she did, Hinata was always better: She was always kind-hearted and generous. She was intelligent enough to be the only woman in the Main House allowed to attend council meetings and diplomatic briefings. She didn't need make-up or elaborate kimonos to be beautiful. Hinata was even taught the basic concepts of their clan's esteemed Gentle Fist style. Miaka had learned a long time ago that she would never be at Hinata's level.

Miaka forged her own path instead, no longer caring about seeking her mother's approval. Miaka had an outgoing and charming personality, and she had learned to use that, in combination with her good looks, to her advantage to influence those around her. Many of the clan elders and high-ranking members of the Main House held Miaka in high regard, and thanks to events that transpired many months ago, several members even preferred her to Hinata.

"Ah, darling, you look beautiful!"

Miaka smiled and turned to greet her admirer. Standing there in the doorway was her handsome new husband: Hiroto Hyuga.

Ever since she was a young girl, Miaka had been desperately in love with Hiroto. To her dismay at the time, Miaka also learned that Hinata had been in love with him too. Given Hinata's rank within the clan, Miaka knew that the odds were in the heiress' favor to become Hiroto's beloved wife someday. No man in the Main House would be crazy enough to pass on the opportunity to marry the clan's heir and secure power for himself and his descendants.

Yet in the end, Hiroto chose Miaka over Lady Hinata.

Miaka stood up and walked over to her husband, greeting him with a passionate kiss on his lips, not caring that her embarrassed lady-in-waiting was still in the room.

Hiroto gently broke their kiss and placed his hands on his wife's shoulders, putting some space between them.

"Well, if you're ready we should get going so that we're not late," he said with a soft smile.

Miaka placed her fingertips around the hem of Hiroto's haori to straighten it and then looked up, giving him her coyest smile. "Whatever you say my love."

Mika could care less about what would become of Hinata and the honors her upcoming marriage would bring to the clan, because in Miaka's eyes she had already won the most coveted prize.

* * *

If Naruto had a choice between being in his present location, and being tortured by Ibiki from the Interrogation Force, Naruto would take the torture ten times over.

Currently he was attending what was supposedly an engagement dinner in honor of his and Hinata's impending wedding, which was only a week away. The reality though, was that this dinner was just a political event for the top leaders in Konoha and the Hyuga clan to come together.

Naruto had traveled to the Hyuga Mansion with Tsunade, the village elders, and several clan leaders, which had been incredibly uncomfortable and awkward given how much disdain Naruto knew each member of the party (with the exception of Tsunade) quietly had for him. He hadn't even been allowed to sit by his fiancée, which had been the only thing he had been looking forward to in all this. Instead, he was placed at the opposite end of the table from where Hinata was with her father, stuck sitting near that old goat, Danzo, along with several Hyuga he had never met before.

With them being officially engaged, Naruto thought that he was going to spend a lot more time with Hinata but the reverse became true. During most of his waking hours, Naruto was either running around the village carrying out errands for Tsunade, or he was under analysis with a specialized medical and psychological team at Konoha's Hospital. It was all part of an increased monitoring of the Kyuubi inside of him, which Naruto had agreed to as part of the concessions made for the alliance between Konoha and the Hyuga.

Naruto was only free to go to the Hyuga Compound once a week, but even then that wasn't to see Hinata. Instead, it was to take lessons from one of the Hyuga elders in learning about the clan's culture and traditions as part of his preparations to marry their former heiress. Between lessons however, Naruto always managed to track Hinata down to talk and spend time with her, even if it was just for a few minutes. He had come to really cherish those small moments as they were the only bright spots in his week.

Tonight's dinner had been drawn out for over two hours already and all Naruto wanted was to have a conversation with his betrothed. He kept looking down the table towards her throughout the evening, trying to compel her to look back.

She was incredibly beautiful tonight. Her hair had been styled in a traditional manner with a high chignon, held together with an ornate pearl comb and silk flower pins. She wore an elaborate, furisode ebony kimono patterned with white and red flowers, tied together with a golden obi. She was also wearing make-up, but only enough to highlight her rosy cheeks and brighten her wide, lavender eyes.

Yet, every time Naruto looked towards her, she never looked back at him. Instead, her eyes had been downcast for the whole evening and he didn't even see her take one bite of the many courses that had already been brought out to them. Even from this distance, Naruto could see that she was carrying a profound sadness about her and it deeply disturbed him.

As his gaze lingered on his fiancée, another course was brought out, briefly distracting the blonde's attention. He sighed as he looked down to see another small plate of a food he was unfamiliar with. Naruto was thankful that him and Hinata would not be living in the mansion after they were married; he would never get used to the type of fine food served to the Main House of the Hyuga clan in comparison to his beloved ramen.

"These dinners can be quite drawn out, can't they?"

Naruto looked across the table to see that the comment had come from a young man, holding a cordial smile across his face, who was obviously a Hyuga. The man was dressed in the formal robes that were typical for Main House members to wear on such occasions. He couldn't have been much older than Naruto himself, and the blonde had also noticed that the young man wore his black hair short and close to his neck, instead of long and down his back like most Hyuga men. Leaning on the man's shoulder was a young woman with dark brown hair, cooling herself with a silk hand fan and wearing an utterly bored expression on her face.

Sensing that the young man was being sincere in his comment, Naruto flashed him a friendly grin. "You can say that again! I've never even seen most of these foods before. It's something I'll have to get used to I guess."

The young man chuckled. "I'm sure you'll get accustomed soon, Lord Namikaze. My name is Hiroto by the way," he gestured to the bored woman next to him, "and this is my wife, Lady Miaka. It's an honor to finally meet you. Lord Hiashi has spoken very highly of you!"

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah, Lord Hiashi gives me too much credit - I'm just another shinobi from Konahagakure, ya know?"

It was then that Naruto noticed that Lady Miaka was paying no mind to their conversation whatsoever. She hadn't even so much as glanced in Naruto's direction when Hiroto introduced her. Instead, the young woman just continued to fan herself, clearly not wanting to be there. Naruto shrugged her off as just another stuck-up Hyuga noblewoman (he was finding the Main House to be full of them) and continued on his conversation with Hiroto.

"By the way, you can just call me Naruto. I'm not one for formalities, ya know? Even if I am getting married to your clan's princess!"

At the reference to Hinata, Naruto thought he saw a brief flash of sadness in Hiroto's pale eyes, but the young man smiled politely at him once again. "Very well, Naruto! Please accept our sincerest congratulations in your engagement to Lady Hinata. I'm sure you'll find her to be a fine wife."

At that, Naruto observed Lady Miaka briefly stopping her fan and glaring maliciously at the table before her, but then the bored expression quickly came back and she resumed with fanning herself. Something about this woman was starting to bother Naruto and he couldn't figure out why.

"I know our customs are quite different from the world outside here," Hiroto continued, "so please let me know if there's anything I can ever assist you with as you make your transition into living amongst our clan, Naruto."

Feeling relieved that he had found a Hyuga, aside from Hinata and Hiashi, that sincerely seemed to accept him, Naruto smiled warmly at the young man across from him. "Thank you Hiroto, that means a lot!"

Naruto stole another glance to the opposite end of the table to check on Hinata but was surprised to no longer see her sitting at there. Mannerisms and traditions aside, the blonde couldn't let another moment pass by without checking on his fiancée.

He bowed respectively towards Hiroto, "Please excuse me, there's something I need to attend to."

Naruto then stood up and swiftly left the room in search of Hinata, ignoring everyone else's stares.

* * *

Naruto found Hinata in a nearby hallway leaning against the wall as if it were the only thing keeping her upright. He walked over to her, concerned and worried.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked softly.

It was then he noticed that she was panting and clutching the hem of her kimono over her chest, almost like she was just about to have a panic attack.

Without looking at him she answered, "I need some air."

Naruto nodded in understanding and offered his arm for her to hang onto. "Let's get the hell out of here, hime."

They made their escape from the stuffy Hyuga mansion and into the quiet courtyard just outside. The couple walked in silence for several minutes, enjoying the cool night air and the new flowers blossoming on the Hyuga estate grounds. They stopped when they came to Hinata's small garden.

"Feel better?" Naruto asked.

Hinata put on a small smile and nodded. "Much better, thank you!"

Naruto frowned, sensing that something was still bothering her. "What's wrong, Hinata?"

She looked up at him, surprised that he could sense the sadness that she was desperately trying to keep hidden.

He flashed a smile to her. "We're about to spend the rest of our lives together, so you can tell me anything, okay?"

Hinata reacted by turning her gaze away and tightening her grip around Naruto's arm, as she pondered how to answer him.

Ever since they had become officially engaged, Hinata had started to see her current world through a different lens. The mansion she had lived in all of her life, was now dank and confining. The clan elders and nobleman she worked so hard to please all these years, were now insignificant. Even the mansion gardens she used to admire now seemed too artificial and controlled. It was as if Hinata had slowly woken up over the past five weeks to the reality of her existence and she wanted nothing more than to run off through the gates of the compound to explore the vast, rich world that awaited her outside. All while being led by the hand of the young man with hair the color of sunlight and the warmest smile she had ever seen, who had slowly made a home inside her heart.

Hinata had been counting down the days to her wedding to Naruto, because she believed her life would finally begin.

Then she saw Hiroto sitting with his wife at the table of her and Naruto's engagement dinner, and her world spiraled down once again. Seeing him reminded her of the life she originally thought she was meant to have. A life that was predictable and one she had spent her whole existence preparing for. But seeing Lady Miaka was an abrupt reminder that life seldom turned out how you planned. It was all a stark reminder of what she had lost.

For the whole evening, Hinata struggled to suppress the overwhelming feelings of sadness and rejection that were stirred up by Hiroto and Miaka's presence, but she couldn't. She ignored the worried expression of her nearby father and sister, and didn't even glance in Naruto's direction for the whole dinner. She grew increasingly upset over the realization that she wasn't quite over what had occurred last summer between her and Hiroto.

And then when she finally did glance in Naruto's direction, she saw the two men speaking cordially with one another and something inside of her broke. There was something about seeing her past and her future colliding that brought about an overwhelming feeling she couldn't describe. Then she left without a word. Naruto found her shortly afterwards and now she was trying to figure out how to tell her fiancé what was wrong, when she didn't even fully understand it herself just yet.

"It's just…it's still difficult to be around them," she finally answered.

"Around who?"

"…Lord Hiroto and Lady Miaka."

Naruto scanned his brain trying to place the persons Hinata had just mentioned. "Oh, they were the couple sitting across from me at dinner. Why is it hard for you to be around them?" he asked sincerely.

Hinata didn't say anything and Naruto could read the sad expression on her face. It then clicked with him.

"So Hiroto…Was he your—?"

"Yes…" Hinata answered meekly.

Naruto's mind continued to process what was going on with his fiancée. She hadn't opened up much to him about her previous engagement; he didn't even know the name of her former fiancé until just now. But Hiroto was there with his wife, Miaka, tonight so that meant…

The blonde then understood why Hinata was so humiliated and hurt by the broken engagement, and that reason was dressed in a tacky purple kimono tonight. Naruto's chest ached at realizing the emotional pain Hinata must have been in and a quiet indignation rose inside of him. But he knew he couldn't just tell her that everything would be okay and that Hiroto was a jackass (despite it being true in Naruto's mind) for humiliating Hinata like that. There were no words he could offer to her to ease the pain of what she had been through and it hurt him to realize that.

He reached over and placed his left palm over Hinata's hands, which were still hooked around his right bicep, and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"We don't have to go back in there tonight, Hinata." He then flashed her that boyish grin of his. "We can go wherever you want! I'll stay out with you all night if needed."

Hinata gave him a small smile, her heart warmed by Naruto's support. "I'd like that but, I can't leave the Hyuga compound…"

"Ah, that's right. Well, this is still a pretty big place and I'm sure there's _somewhere_ you would rather be than here that we could go to."

Hinata seemed to ponder this for a moment before her eyes suddenly lit up. "Father told me that they're almost finished with our new house! Maybe we could walk by just to see it."

"New house?"

"Yes, it's part of my dowry…"

"Oh yeah, that's right! That sounds like a plan, lead the way, hime!"

* * *

The journey to what would be their new home soon, took nearly half an hour due to the long, furisode kimono Hinata was wearing. Each step she took had to be careful and slow so as not to ruin the fine garment, but Naruto was more than happy to oblige his fiancée's pace as it gave them a little more time to spend together.

"Here it is!" Hinata announced happily when the reached the end of the pathway, letting go of her grip on Naruto's arm.

Before them was a small cottage built in the traditional manner with dark wood frames and shoji doors and windows. The home was slightly raised off the earth as protection from the ground's dampness during rainy seasons. A small porch was attached to the front of the house and Naruto noticed that there were already garden boxes built around the home's perimeter.

The most distinguishing feature of their feature home however was its' location. From there one could see Konoha, the Hyuga Mansion, and the Branch House Village all at the same time. It was as if their home was meant to be the connecting point between all three worlds. Naruto wasn't sure if this was intentional, but he liked to think that Hiashi had picked this location with this idea in mind.

The blonde jonin sighed contently to himself. "I've never lived in a house before, ya know?"

Hinata looked over at her fiancé in surprise, "Really?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah…My dad and I lived in an apartment my whole childhood and then when I returned from my three-year training trip with the Pervy Sage, I moved straight into the barracks, which is where I've been ever since."

Hinata smiled, happy that Naruto seemed to be pleased with their soon-to-be home.

"I feel kinda bad though," Naruto commented as he rubbed the back of his neck. "This will be a step up for me but it'll be a big step down for you, right hime? I mean you grew up in a mansion and now you gotta come live with me in this tiny place!" he joked.

Not picking up on Naruto's humorous tone, Hinata slightly panicked. "N-no that's not true at all!" She then pushed her index fingers together nervously. "I'm actually looking forward to living here! It will be…a welcomed change…"

Naruto chuckled, "You can relax Hinata! I was just messing with you…well sorta. I do feel bad at times that I'm essentially turning your world upside down, so I'm glad to hear you're looking forward to living here…I'm looking forward to it too…"

The couple fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Hinata spoke up again.

"Naruto?"

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, what is it hime?"

She paused for a moment and resisted the urge to push her index fingers together once again to hide her nerves. "You told me that you were rejected by a girl that you cared about not that long ago…Is she someone you still think about?"

Naruto gazed at his fiancée for a moment wondering where the question had come from, but it was a valid question and one that deserved to be answered. He thought about it honestly before giving her his answer.

"I try not to," he said, "but there are times when it's hard, ya know? I've known her since I was a kid and we were also teammates. We went through a lot of tough battles and experiences with each other, so it's hard for me to forget about her completely. We were good friends…and it sucks that I've made things awkward between us because of the things I said to her all those months ago. Even now, I'm still sorting through what it was that I felt for her exactly…Why do you ask?"

Hinata didn't respond, instead she continued gazing at the ground quietly with that earlier sad expression in her eyes. Naruto sensed that this wasn't all just about what had happened between him and Sakura.

"Can I ask _you_ something, Hinata?"

"Hm?"

"Does Hiroto still mean something to you?"

The question took her by surprise but when she looked into Naruto's eyes, she only saw someone who was genuinely concerned about her, and not a jealous, angry fiancé that was making accusations.

When she looked away and didn't say anything, Naruto probed her gently. "It's okay to be honest, you won't upset me with anything you say. It actually might help to talk about it, even if it hurts at first."

Things became quiet and Hinata remained still for a while. Naruto was starting to nervously wonder if he had gone too far with his question, but then his fiancée finally spoke.

"…I wanted to be just like him," she answered softly, "we grew up together and he was always a good friend to me." The Hyuga princess finally turned her gaze upwards towards the skyline as she continued speaking. "But most of all, he inspired me to be a better person. Seeing his kindness towards others, regardless of their rank and station within our clan, was encouraging to me. I started to develop real feelings for him when I was just eleven years old. I never had the courage to tell him of course, and I didn't see the point since I always knew that my marriage would be arranged anyway. Instead, I kept those feelings to myself and tried to be there for him as much as I could as his friend. It surprised me when he approached me last year, stating that he had always desired to marry me." Hinata then clutched the hem of her kimono, just above her heart. "But, for reasons I still don't understand, he broke it off just a few weeks later…and now I can't even be around him without feeling so much pain. It saddens me that the person I once considered to be one of my best friends, is now my greatest source of suffering…I wish I was already over what had happened last summer, but I'm not…it still hurts a lot."

Her voice trailed off and Naruto's heart ached for her as she tried to wipe away the tears that were slipping down her cheeks. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Hinata," he said, prompting his fiancée to finally turn her tear-filled gaze back towards him, "It's okay to still be hurt and sad over this, it just means you're human." He then gave her his signature smile. "I can't undo what's already happened, but I'll be here for you whenever you want to talk about it or even if you just need to cry about it if that will help you. That's a promise!"

Hinata then gave him what was her first real smile of the evening, even if it was small and weak.

"But let me tell you something," Naruto added in a more serious tone, "Hiroto is a coward. Maybe I'm biased since I'm the one who's actually marrying you, but he should have never promised you something he couldn't give you. If he was having doubts or wasn't asking you for the right reasons, he should have never proposed to you in the first place, even if he knew it would have disappointed you…That's just not what a man does and now look at how much pain he's caused you."

He gave her shoulder another reassuring squeeze before releasing his grip on her, smiling at her once more. "Something you should know about me, Hinata, is that I never go back on my word. If I made you a promise, I intend to follow though with it, ya know? I'm not going anywhere."

Hinata blinked back the last of her tears and smiled at her fiancé, touched by his genuine words.

"Thank you Naruto…That means so much to me…"

The jonin suddenly felt his cheeks grow hot at Hinata's tender tone. "Ah, don't mention it!" he said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's getting late…" Hinata responded, "we should probably head back - OH!"

As she was speaking, Hinata had taken a step towards Naruto and tripped on the hem of her long kimono and found herself now buried in her fiancé's chest as he caught her.

Hinata's face felt warm and her heart pounded rapidly at the sudden close contact with Naruto. Her hands had inadvertently gripped his jacket and she felt his arms holding her firmly around her waist. The warmth of his body radiated through the cotton of his clothes, creating an aroma that Hinata knew to be strictly Naruto's, and for a brief moment, all of her senses became lost. Naruto must have felt something similar as she could feel his heart beating in his chest just as rapidly as hers.

The couple stayed that way for a moment, not sure how to react to their accidental embrace.

Naruto cleared his throat nervously, trying not to dwell on Hinata's sweet-scented perfume or how perfectly her petite frame fit into his lean chest.

"You okay, hime?"

Hinata carefully peeled herself away from Naruto's chest, now fully embarrassed at her clumsiness.

"Yes, I-I'm fine! I'm so sorry, I don't wear this long of a kimono very often and it's hard to walk in…"

Naruto steadied her and offered Hinata his arm once again, "No worries, you got me to lean on Hinata!" His fiancée visibly relaxed and placed her hands around the crook of his arm. "I better get you home now I guess," Naruto continued, "I don't want your dad threatening to kill me again."

"…What?"

"Ah nothing! Forget I said anything!"

* * *

Six days quickly passed and Naruto and Hinata's wedding was only one day away. Naruto's schedule during those days had still been packed and hectic but he breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped out of the Hokage's office into the late afternoon air. He was officially done with all of his missions around the village as well as his monitoring at the hospital.

For the next week at least.

Tsunade was granting him the day off for his wedding obviously, plus a week afterwards to settle in with his new bride and their home on the Hyuga property. The blonde jinchuruki didn't have any major plans for his final evening as a bachelor, other than finishing up the packing of his barracks room and turning in early for a good nights rest, but first, a bowl or two of his favorite ramen from Ichiraku's was waiting for him.

As Naruto was making his way through the village towards his beloved ramen spot, he could hear a familiar rowdy laughter coming across the street from a small bar.

' _Pervy Sage…?'_

Despite the significance of the marriage, Hinata and Naruto's wedding was actually going to be a very small, intimate affair for both the ceremony and the reception. It meant that only close family members would be permitted to attend.

Since Naruto had no living blood relatives left, he invited the three individuals who were there for him all his life whom he considered just as close as family: Iruka, Tsunade, and Jiraiya. Iruka and Tsunade accepted with no hesitations, however Jiraiya declined the invitation citing that he would be away on another long-term mission. Naruto was disappointed Jiraiya couldn't attend, but he understood his sensei's reasons. A shinobi's life was not his own and personal sacrifices often had to be made for the sake of the village.

However, Naruto was under the impression that Jiraiya would be long gone by now so he was perplexed and bothered as to why the old pervert was still in the village. The blonde quickly made his way across the street and into the bar to investigate.

As he suspected, Jiraiya was there in the bar throwing back cups of sake and carousing happily with the other patrons. Naruto stood there in the doorway for several minutes, staring coldly at his former teacher before the older man finally realized he was there.

"Hey Naruto!" Jiraiya sloshed out, "I didn't think I'd get to see you before tomorrow, kid! Come sit here and have a drink on me! It's your last night of freedom after all!" he giggled.

Naruto remained in his spot by the door and placed his hands into his pockets. "I thought you were going to be out on a mission," he said cooly, making no move to accept Jiraiya's offer.

The Sannin drank another cup of sake before responding. "I don't leave until tomorrow afternoon."

Naruto took a deep breath. Ever since he became engaged to Hinata, the blonde was _really_ working on keeping his short temper in check, but right now it was taking every ounce of self-control to not punch his former sensei in the face.

Jiraiya grinned once again, seemingly obvious to his pupil's anger, and patted the empty seat next to him. "Come on kid! Have a drink with me!"

Naruto finally gave in and begrudgingly took the empty seat next to his old teacher. He watched disinterestedly as a cup of sake was poured in front of him but made no move to touch it. The blonde sat there in silence as Jiraiya continued to laugh and joke with the small crowd inside the bar.

Despite the old man's many flaws, Naruto held Jiraiya in very high regard. They had formed a special bond during their three-year training journey and Jiraiya's views and teachings made a significant impact on Naruto as a shinobi. Jiraiya was important to both Naruto and Minato, and since his father was no longer alive to share in Naruto's life milestones, it was especially significant to Naruto for Jiraiya to be there tomorrow at his wedding.

The blonde jonin took another deep breath before speaking once again. "Hey, Sensei…"

Jiraiya turned towards Naruto curiously. He knew it was alway serious whenever the kid actually addressed him as "Sensei" instead of the "Pervy Sage".

"Listen…" Naruto continued, "I know you have a big mission to set out on tomorrow, but it would really mean a lot to me if you could come to the wedding. I'm sure Hiashi won't mind and you could just come to the ceremony. It starts at ten and should be over in less than an hour. You'll have plenty of time still—"

"I don't think that will be a good idea," Jiraiya interrupted. "Trust me, the Hyuga won't take very kindly to having a hungover old man like me at such an important event for them!"

Naruto continued to stare hard at his sake cup while he clenched his pant leg into his fist.

"Please Sensei…" Naruto rasped out.

The blonde's desperate tone finally made Jiraiya set his drink down as he carefully listened to his student's plea.

"Tomorrow is going to be a happy day for me," Naruto continued, "but it will also be a reminder that…he's not here anymore…and I _need_ someone there for me that will understand that…"

A heavy silence fell between the two men as Naruto's words sunk in, the rambunctious laughter of the other patrons at the bar disappearing into the background.

"…I'm sorry, kid, but I can't be there for you tomorrow," Jiraiya finally answered.

"Why the hell not?" Naruto bit out, fed up with being calm and patient.

The Sannin looked back into Naruto's hard, angry gaze towards him, wishing he could have avoided this conversation all together to spare Naruto any further pain.

"I just can't. I'm sorry," Jiraiya answered plainly.

The other patrons in the bar moved to the opposite end of the room, sensing the mounting tension between the two men.

"Why?" Naruto demanded once again, "If you can't be there tomorrow then at least help me to understand why!"

Jiraiya quietly took a sip from his sake cup before answering. "I was originally not going to say anything out of respect for your feelings, Naruto, but if you're insisting on an answer than I'll be straight with you." Jiraiya set his sake cup down and turned towards his former pupil, staring hard at him. "I think you're making a mistake."

Naruto was taken aback and them immediately felt another hot, wave of anger rise up inside him. "And _why's_ that?"

The older man took another sip of his sake. "You're in a very vulnerable stage of your life, Naruto," he answered cooly, "deciding to marry a girl you've only known for a couple of months is one of the last things you should be doing at this point."

Naruto stood up and slammed his palm onto the bar, getting directly in Jiraiya's face. "So you decide to tell me all this _now_ just one day before my wedding?"

The Sannin scoffed. "Like I already told you, kid, I originally wasn't going to say anything but you kept insisting on the truth so I'm giving it to you like you asked."

Naruto stood there, his nostrils flaring and his hard blue stare unyielding.

Jiraiya continued, "Think about it Naruto. Your father died very suddenly and tragically. I know how close you two were and how devastating his death was for you. On top of that, rumors were flying around about you being imprisoned by the village elders due to your status as a jinchuruki. You must have felt desperate and alone, so you turned to a solution that would guarantee you would never be alone ever again."

Naruto slapped a couple of bills onto the bar to pay for his untouched drink and abruptly walked towards the exit.

"I've heard enough of this bullshit," the blonde muttered angrily.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

Naruto stopped and glared over his shoulder. "I'm getting out of here before I say something to you that I'll regret long after you're dead, old man. Try not to get yourself killed on your mission." He then turned on his heel and left.

Jiraiya turned back towards his sake cup and finished it off. His earlier jubilant mood now dampened by the fact that he had yet again failed another one of his students.

* * *

Naruto strode angrily towards his barracks, trying to calm himself down. The Pervy Sage's words had riled him up so much that Naruto wasn't even hungry for his favorite ramen at Ichiraku's anymore. Yet, the things Jiraiya had said bothered Naruto and he couldn't deny that there was some truth in his sensei's words, which frustrated Naruto to no end.

He came by the Senju River and decided to sit down in a quiet spot near the bank to collect his thoughts. When he sat down on the ground, he hunched over with the heels of his palms over his eyes and took several deep, shaky breaths. He slowly lifted his head from his hands, gazing at his reflection in the river.

The jinchuruki didn't realize until then how much he still looked like a teenaged boy instead of the maturing, young man he was supposed to be. So much had happened in the past year…His best friend betrayed the village, he slaughtered hundreds of enemy shinobi with his own hands, his childhood crush rejected him, his father was killed, and starting tomorrow he would be someone's husband for the rest of his life. Staring at his rippled image in the water below him, Naruto felt as if he were standing at the threshold into a new existence, and once he stepped through he could never turn back.

He closed his eyes and sighed once more. That's all this was: He's going through a significant life change and it's only natural for him to feel a little anxious, especially after someone he looked up to told him that he was making a mistake.

He opened his eyes. One thing Jiraiya said was true for sure — Naruto was afraid to be alone. It was a fear he had all his life.

Growing up as a child with only one living parent was frightening at times, especially when said parent had such a dangerous occupation. Whenever his father was out of the village on missions or at the front lines of a war, Naruto would have nightmares of his father never returning for him. On top of that, many of the villagers despised him for containing the Kyuubi and didn't allow their children to play with Naruto, which made finding friends difficult for the longest time.

A cool breeze tickled the back of his neck and his thoughts then drifted to the woman he was marrying tomorrow. He smiled at the fond memories he already formed with her in the short time they had known each other. The way she delicately grazed the leaves of her garden plants as she explained each one to him. The glint in her lavender eyes when she tried a cinnamon roll for the first time. The passion in her voice as she spoke about the marginalized members of her clan and how she would even give up her own life to create a better future for each of them if that's what it took. Naruto couldn't say that he was in love with the Hyuga princess just yet…but the thought of spending the rest of his days with her at his side made him feel calm and peaceful inside.

Hinata was many things, but a mistake was not one of them.

Satisfied with that final thought, Naruto felt relaxed once again. If that old pervert didn't want to attend the wedding tomorrow for his own reasons, then so be it.

The jinchuruki gazed at his reflection in the water once again and ruffled his wild, blonde locks. His hair was starting to get long again, making the back of his neck feel scratchy all the time. Maybe it was time for a change…

The jonin stood up and brushed the loose grass from his pants. He planned on making a pit stop before retiring to the barracks for the night.

* * *

"Hey Big Bro!" Konohamaru greeted after Naruto arrived at the barracks, "I was starting to wonder when you were…"

The blonde jinchuruki stood there in confusion, wondering why his young friend trailed off. "What is it?"

"Oh uh, you just look different that's all."

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Is it that bad?"

Before coming back to the barracks, Naruto had stopped for a hair cut. His longer wild, blonde locks were now gone and all that remained were short golden spikes.

Before Konohamaru could respond, they were accosted by the rambunctious bellows of four young men approaching from behind.

"NARUTO!" they greeted.

The blonde jonin looked behind his young friend and grinned at the sight of Kiba, Lee, Choji, and Shino all standing there.

"What are you guys doing here?" Naruto questioned gleefully, "I thought you all were out of the village still!"

"Dude, we've all been back for over two weeks!" Choji answered.

"What? Really?!" Naruto replied.

"Yeah, really! You've just been too busy being the Hokage's errand-boy to notice," Kiba responded, "and what the fuck happened to your hair?"

"Not you too Kiba…" Naruto sighed in defeat.

"I for one like Naruto's new look!" Lee chimed in with a thumbs up, "It makes him look very youthful and matured!"

"You know that statement just contradicted itself…" Kiba deadpanned.

Naruto chuckled at his friends' banter. "What are you guys up to tonight?"

"We were looking for you, Naruto," Shino answered cryptically from the back of the group, "the reason being, we are your friends and want to celebrate with you properly."

"Huh?"

"Yeah! You're getting married to a fucking princess tomorrow, man!" Kiba exclaimed, slapping Naruto on the shoulder. "We can't let you spend your last night as a bachelor doing nothing!"

"That's right, Big Bro! It was all my idea by the way!" Konohamaru proclaimed proudly.

"Shikamaru would have come too if he were still in the village, but he's currently in Suna with his new wife," Choji added.

Naruto stared at his group of friends, momentarily awestruck by their presence and the reminder of the life he used to have. A life where Team Seven still went on missions together and his father was the Hokage. A life where his evenings were spent chowing down bowls of ramen and staying up until the early morning hours playing cards and joking around with the guys. A life that was more carefree and not occupied with anxieties about the future. And just for one last night, Naruto could enjoy a taste of that old life with friends who had stuck by him through thick and thin.

Naruto then grinned so big, his eyes crinkled closed. "All right! Where to first?"

Immediately a loud growl emitted from Naruto's stomach, making the blonde chuckle sheepishly.

"Dude, you didn't even eat dinner yet?" Kiba quipped.

"Ah, no…"

"To Ichiraku's!" Choji announced, not needing to guess where the blonde wanted to go next.

"Yes! The flames of our youth will burn brightly throughout the night!" Lee exclaimed as he threw his arm around Naruto's shoulders.

"Let's go!" Naruto grinned.

The group of young men then set out on their night of fun in the village, their laughter and jokes carrying out into the clear, night sky.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter (and don't worry about Naruto and Jiraiya's argument too much ;) I'll be honest, I don't know when the next chapter will be done, but please be rest assured that I am still working on this story and knowing that this story has gained a fan base inspires me to keep going. Until next time!**


End file.
